Oroco Studio's 40-square-metre apartment renovation in Madrid's Palacio neighbourhood

RS19 is a 40-square-metre flat in Madrid's Palacio neighbourhood, renovated by the Madrid practice Oroco Studio as somebody's first home. The question behind it is a familiar one for city dwellers: how do you fit everyday life into very little floor space without it feeling cramped? The studio's answer is to take things away. There are fewer partitions, no applied decoration, and a reworked layout that lets the rooms run into one another.

The material list is short. Plaster covers the walls in a continuous, pale backdrop that bounces the light around. Solid granite brings weight and texture, and steel adds sharp edges and contrast. Changes from one material to the next mark the shift between kitchen, sitting area and bed, rather than doors or walls doing that job. The open plan is meant to remove pinch points, so your eye travels further and the flat reads as deeper than it is. The architects describe the aim as a balance between austerity and warmth.

It's worth knowing that this came to designboom through its reader submissions feature, so the text is largely the studio's own account. It is also a private home with nothing to visit. It is still a useful read for anyone working out how to make a small flat feel generous with very few materials.

Our summary of a story from designboom, published 24 October 2026. Read the original

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