Vintage Lifestyles In A City Home

Lindsay Whitney Lindsay Whitney
La reforma new-vintage de Gonzalo y Eva, Emmme Studio Interiorismo Emmme Studio Interiorismo
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Emme Studio's interior architects have concocted an upbeat boho vintage aesthetic, incorporating the Spanish flair for sporadic bold colours with a modern European sheen harking all the way back to the mid twentieth century. 

As any urbanite or apartment dweller knows well, clean details and light are the key to achieving a warm and relaxed environment that makes you feel well-kept and insulated from the rush and dash just outside your front door. Located in Madrid, Spain, the before and after apartment we are showcasing today really provides just that, so let's start off with the cosiest of spaces - the bedroom.

Pixie mode

Sometimes, changing the bed to a corner angle can make the room feel grander, not smaller—a trick Emme's interior designers have mastered well here. In fact, we can see that switching the bed to a corner angle has created more fluidity between the three spaces around the bed.

Old tiles have been replaced with medium-dark wooden floors, lightly sanded but not polished to give it that vintage kick. The ultra dark headboard from before has smartly been done away with, and a thin, less imposing oak bed frame has arrived in its place, along with a bright teal, squiggly painting that grabs the daylight and projects it into a room that feels delightfully more pixie modish than before. 

A kitchen to be proud of

From half kitchen to full kitchen—without even taking out a wall! Before makeover, this kitchen suffered from overly exposed appliances and a poor use of space. Now the dishwasher has been hidden, the countertops revamped in wood, cupboards freshly painted and the back corner completely used as a space for wasit-height kitchen cabinets.

Lastly, to dampen the din, new, lighter coloured mosaic tiles have been laid, along with a continuance of the wooden floors found in the bedroom and living room. 

Spanish colour

Just as bold, warm colours can really crowd a small space, cooler colours can set the same small space, like a bathroom, into its full decorative potential. 

Here we see that heavy red Spanish floor tiles have been replaced with one ocean blue laminate, creating unity and an illusion of length. Classic faux-street lamp lights highlight the circle mirror, providing the focal pop of dark colour, aside from the floor.

A little less proves best

Sometimes, a bed is just too big. This was the case before in this apartment. Additionally, the bed frame was completely overpowering. 

To remedy this, designers replaced it with a modest but comfy day bed, painted everything white again, installed natural flooring and made the only dark spot in the room the bed, with a sleek charcoal cover and royal purple pillows. Finally, they intelligently did not underestimate sheer white curtains combined with light wood floors for their ability to soften and open up a previously dank, dark room.

Light is more

Contrary to some popular notions, larger spaces deserve a lighter colour palette, and cannot necessarily bear looming and heavy furniture items such as the enormous entertainment console pictured here in the before picture. The reason for this here—and for most urban flats—is the low ceilings. Big furniture just looks oafish and cramped when stuck under low or average height ceilings. So, often times, the key to a real home makeover is simply getting rid of the largest pieces in a space—precisely what the decorators here have done.

Fresh white walls now dominate without feeling domineering. The whole back wall has been freed, the old cabinetry replaced with whimsical and light paintings and the chairs replaced with one comfy sofa and a lean wooden coffee table—living room de-light!

To see another amazing transformation, check out the revival of a historic apartment in Seville!

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