Teleno Studio’s renovation of a 56 square meter apartment in a 19th-century building in central Madrid is unique in that it focuses on shadow rather than daylight. The apartment, dubbed House in Penumbra, features a low, even dimness throughout its rooms.
The renovation process involved rebuilding parts of the floor structure and load-bearing walls due to the apartment’s deteriorated timber structure and fragmented layout. Once the structural work was complete, the studio turned its attention to creating a cohesive atmosphere.
The apartment’s plan centers around a compact oak volume that holds the bedroom and bathroom, with the kitchen, dining, living, and storage areas wrapping around it as a continuous space. The three-meter ceilings serve both proportion and extra storage.
The kitchen is designed to resemble furniture, with a floor-to-ceiling dark timber volume broken by a central opening in Emperador marble. A stone element behind the sofa doubles as storage and an informal bar, making the apartment well-suited for entertaining.
Light is a key element in the project, with two street-facing balconies and a small courtyard window bringing in daylight that is then softened by linen curtains and olive-toned textiles. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors widen the room and pick up the gradients between light and dark.
The furniture is a carefully curated mix of pieces, including a 1980s cast-metal dining table in blue lacquer, an Akari lamp by Isamu Noguchi, and 1960s “Doughnuts” stools by Rud Thygesen and Johny Sorensen for Magnus Olesen. The result is a cohesive and inviting space.
Past a large sliding door, the mood shifts in the bedroom, which is lit indirectly with 1970s Leucos Murano glass wall lights and features paintings by Joan Vives Maristany. The en suite is the most private room, with a red travertine sink set into a mirrored surface and metallic microcement and polished steel catching steam and light.
