Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: A Unique, Personality-Filled Apartment in Madrid
An eclectic mix of artwork, furniture and curios makes this apartment a fascinating, individual space
With its prime location in the centre of Madrid, this grand old apartment deserved a much-needed makeover. Designer Mike Alleg arrived in the Spanish capital five years ago, and describes his vision as ‘the Haussmannien way of life – the meeting between Diam’s (a French rap artist) and Baron Haussmann,’ and adds that he wishes to ‘bring old and new, classic and contemporary together in harmony’.
After visiting fairs, events and galleries in Madrid, Vienna, Budapest, St Petersburg, London, Brussels and Paris, Mike had all the inspiration he needed for the project. ‘My inspiration comes from travels and from rap music,’ he says, and this particular apartment was imagined around the beat of a song called ‘Mystere et Suspense’ by French rappers Fonky Family.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here The apartment is owned by Carmen, who lives most of the time in Boston
Location Libertad Street, Madrid, Spain
Size 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
That’s interesting ‘My inspiration came directly from the Eiffel Tower. When I was a child, I loved Paris. One of my history teachers was really passionate about it and that passion was passed on to me. I immediately thought about it when I walked into this apartment – that and the greenhouses of the Jardin des Plantes. That’s why I created an interior garden.’
Photographs by David Suarez
After visiting fairs, events and galleries in Madrid, Vienna, Budapest, St Petersburg, London, Brussels and Paris, Mike had all the inspiration he needed for the project. ‘My inspiration comes from travels and from rap music,’ he says, and this particular apartment was imagined around the beat of a song called ‘Mystere et Suspense’ by French rappers Fonky Family.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here The apartment is owned by Carmen, who lives most of the time in Boston
Location Libertad Street, Madrid, Spain
Size 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
That’s interesting ‘My inspiration came directly from the Eiffel Tower. When I was a child, I loved Paris. One of my history teachers was really passionate about it and that passion was passed on to me. I immediately thought about it when I walked into this apartment – that and the greenhouses of the Jardin des Plantes. That’s why I created an interior garden.’
Photographs by David Suarez
The front door opens onto a pretty black side table and floor lamp. ‘The side table is made of cast iron: I found it in Paris,’ Mike says. The lamp is from Ikea. ‘I don’t care where items are from,’ says Mike, ‘as long as they take me one step closer to whatever crazy place I want to go.’
This stuffed dog, a present from his son, shows just how free-spirited Mike is.
‘We came up with the idea of this Corian kitchen before handing it over to the Spanish brand Santos,’ Mike says. The contemporary tap is juxtaposed with a retro pendant light above.
‘We wanted to create a view in the kitchen, and I decided to go with this picture. I always try to find a location for an Eiffel Tower in all my projects. After all, it’s the prime ambassador of Paris,’ Mike explains. It’s his signature piece.
‘I knew Carmen loved wine, so although we couldn’t afford the luxury of a wine cellar, we created a dedicated space for her bottles,’ he says. For the kitchen floor, Mike opted for resin over polished concrete, as it’s easy to care for and hard-wearing. Polished concrete doesn’t do well in Madrid as the climate is too dry.
The main living area – including sitting and dining rooms – can be accessed via two different entrances.
‘Carmen already had the dining table and chairs and she wanted us to find a way to use them,’ Mike explains.
The pendant light was created bespoke by a Spanish supplier. ‘I fell in love with all the details of this lamp. It fitted perfectly,’ Mike says.
The front of the fireplace was replaced by a black marble surround that was found in Belgium. ‘We had it elevated to make it bigger,’ Mike says.
Check out ways to integrate a fireplace into your living space
Check out ways to integrate a fireplace into your living space
The lamp was bought to complement this armchair, which already belonged to Carmen. ‘We found the lamp last year at the Maison & Objet trade fair in Paris,’ Mike explains.
The cabinet on the right was found at the Saint-Ouen flea market, just outside Paris. It was then fully restored in Mike’s carpentry workshop. The table and two white sofas belonged to Carmen. ‘We worked with what the client already owned, using her furniture as the starting point for the layout and design of each room,’ Mike explains.
Mike found the retro telephone in Barcelona on the way back from a holiday.
La belle époque. Flat in Madrid - Luminaire
‘Having trouble finding anything matching my initial idea, I finally created this light myself,’ Mike explains. It’s made of eight halogen light bulbs with black-painted cables.
Artwork in general, and paintings in particular, are at the heart of Mike’s vision of his work. While travelling, he spends time in galleries and flea markets picking up all sorts of pieces, art and furniture. The hallway looks more like a gallery than a corridor, with pieces such as a Bosco Sodi and a Cândido Portinari decorating the walls. ‘We tilted the frame of the painting to reinforce the feeling of movement,’ Mike explains.
Discover ways to bring art into your home
Discover ways to bring art into your home
Through these two grand glass doors, made with cast iron frames, is an indoor patio and a private library.
The library is mounted on a platform. ‘I wanted it high, with a plunging view over the terrace and the sitting room,’ explains Mike.
The flooring, made of patterned tiles from Milan, highlights the outdoor feeling of the room, which the designer pictured as ‘a terrace or an interior garden’.
The flooring, made of patterned tiles from Milan, highlights the outdoor feeling of the room, which the designer pictured as ‘a terrace or an interior garden’.
Inspired by the structure of the Eiffel Tower, the library balustrade was custom made in cast iron.
The balustrade subtly separates the library and the terrace.
‘This picture is from Columbia and measures just short of 6ft. It represents an Amazonian person. It was important for Carmen, who has lived in Columbia, to have something from there,’ explains the designer.
In this guest room, the lover of cast iron opted, unsurprisingly, for a cast iron bed. Carmen already owned the bedside table.
The wardrobes were custom made in polished black lacquer.
Next to the bedroom, a grand bathroom was designed in black and white and features a Peña shower.
Carmen already owned all the furniture in her bedroom. ‘In order to introduce a touch of modernity, we opted for a sliding door,’ says Mike.
The bed faces a marble fireplace. ‘It’s a traditional white marble fireplace from Madrid, dating back to the 1930s,’ says Mike. It was restored and polished, and relocated to the bedroom from its original position in the living room.
‘We duplicated the wardrobe from one of the guest rooms,’ says Mike, ‘but this time in white lacquer.’
Carmen’s en-suite bathroom features a frameless shower from Peña.
Another bathroom features an antique-style bath.
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TELL US…
What do you think of this home in Madrid? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.