We've mentioned before that mirrors transform a small space into seeming like a much bigger one, and if there's a better example of that in practice than this apartment, we'd be very impressed.
This small apartment in Madrid took that mirror advice and absolutely ran with it, covering an entire wall with mirrors. They combined the mirror wall with glass partitions throughout the space, and between the two, the apartment seems to go on forever.
The apartment was renovated by Spanish architect Manuel Ocaña, who managed to fit two bedrooms, a living and dining room, a kitchen and a bathroom, all in 51 square metres. The glass partitions take back space for private uses (the bedrooms and bathroom), without visually breaking up the the apartment with solid walls. The fact all that glass easily lets light flow and move throughout the space, keeping its bright and airy feel, is just another.
While the idea of glass walls on a bathroom might sound a bit off, it's very cleverly done. The only part of the bathroom in the glass portion is the sink, while the rest is hidden behind the mirrored wall. The handle on the mirrored wall is the one you push to enter the bathroom, but it's so subtle, you'd barely notice it.
All that glass and mirror actually makes it look a bit disconcerting, especially in photos, where it's hard to tell where rooms begin and end. The floorplan helps clear that up: the walls with dark lines are mirrored, while the rest are glass partitioned. The mirrored wall runs down the bathroom and turns to cover the wall and doors of the bedroom wardrobe, while the rest of the bedroom's wall is glass. A curtain can be added to offer some more privacy.
The difficulty when dividing up a small apartment is often that the more walls you add, the chopped up and closed in it feels. The glass-and-mirrors approach solves that issue, and makes the apartment look and feel much larger than its 51 square metres. It's a unique take on it, but one that works well for this Madrid home.
You can see more photos, and read more about the space, at Artistic Odyssey.
