Architecture and interior design practice El Departamento has unveiled its new workspace in Madrid. A spatial translation of the studio’s working methodology, the open plan defies compartmentalized models to foster synergy. Anchoring the office, a large central materials library abuts workstations and a lounge with industrial shelves of woods, ceramics, metals, natural stones, and textiles. “The goal was an unfiltered, functional space where our design elements—samples, prototypes, and work surfaces—double as the primary decor, celebrating the beauty of the design process in its rawest form,” says El Departamento cofounder Marina Martín. “We wanted a workspace that fuels inspiration, a place that is fluid, flexible, and completely limitless.”
Totaling nearly 2,100 square feet, the studio adopts a neutral palette, with vertical surfaces adorned with dark taupe shades for depth balanced by abundant natural light. Conceived as fishbowls, three glazed volumes in the rear of the space contain a meeting room, secondary room, and the private office for Martín and fellow cofounder Alberto Eltini. A large central workbench designed for building moodboards sits at the heart of the library beneath a custom luminaire equipped to modify light intensity and color temperature. The hybrid lounge serves both leisure and collaboration, furnished with a pair of chocolate brown corduroy sofas, natural fiber poufs, and stone coffee tables as well. “The contrast with black furniture and natural aluminum elements achieves a fine-tuned balance between contemporary edge and timeless serenity,” Eltini adds.
