Casa Muñoz, the interior design firm founded by Mafalda Muñoz and Gonzalo Machado, has transformed a contemporary cubic villa in Madrid's La Moraleja residential district into a stunning example of refined luxury living. The house, originally designed by architect Ignacio Vicens, combines aluminum and glass construction with extraordinary proportions and bold contemporary design elements.
The 12,900-square-foot living space showcases the designers' talent for bringing soul to interiors through the use of noble materials and carefully curated artworks. The basement level is primarily dedicated to an impressive 3,200-square-foot gym facility. One of the property's most striking features is a curved steel staircase in one of the many patios designed by landscape architect Fernando Martos, which leads to the main living areas.
The house presents a perfect square of metal and glass punctuated by patios and interior gardens that flood the space with natural light. Part of the structure rests on the sloping terrain while another section is supported by pillars. The architects softened the building's inherent rigor and severity by working on the tension between walls and ceilings to break up the highly structured and tense quality of the architecture.
The open floor plan allows for seamless circulation from room to room, often featuring double exposure thanks to the patios that transform the house's corridors into glass galleries opening onto nature. All spaces are connected and rooms unfold on a single level, resembling a grand apartment. The layout includes interesting surprises, such as a spa separated from the master bedroom only by a small sitting room leading to dressing rooms and bathrooms.
The spa opens to the garden during summer months and features a fireplace for winter warmth. It is finished in chestnut wood, as are all the night spaces, while the living areas are done in walnut. The interior designers generously incorporated deep brown walnut with dense grain in panel form, giving the house its character and warm atmosphere that draws from both Brazilian and Californian modernism, reflecting the American origins of the property owner.
The uniformly light floors are complemented by white ceilings, while between them, materials awaken both sight and touch, from leather door handles to colorful lacquer accents that punctuate the gentle warmth of the wood. A notable feature is an orange lacquered fireplace that opens to reveal a drink cabinet where people can gather, sitting on the back of the large corner sofa designed specifically for this purpose.
Mafalda explains their design philosophy: "My father, who was also an interior designer, worked extensively in the 1960s and 1970s. I inherited an unconscious vocabulary that incorporates lacquer, its colors, reflections, and sensuality. Combined with walnut, it creates this modernist quality that brings history and soul to this new house." Gonzalo adds, "We love creating dialogue between new and old. This fireplace is actually fake, but we play with its classic and convivial representation. It's a place where people gather and, in terms of spatial definition, creates a central element that organizes the volume around it."
Many furniture pieces are custom-made and upholstered in colorful fabrics, such as the spectacular double sofa in vibrant green that brings the garden into the house. As with the spa, the living room's glass panels disappear into the walls, and similar flooring in the living room and terrace creates the illusion of being one continuous space. "We defend the idea that the interior living room is the exterior living room," explains Mafalda Muñoz. "Even though we have a very beautiful garden, it's better to enjoy its incredible expanse from inside with views of the pool and David Rodriguez Caballero's sculpture, rather than having the view blocked by outdoor furniture casting unaesthetic shadows."
Gonzalo notes the practical considerations: "It gets extremely hot in Madrid during summer. It's better to be inside and enjoy the view or swim in the pool. Except for dining – and even then – staying outside is an unpleasant experience. Most of the year, the glass panels are open. It's a new way of living in the house, and that's exactly what we love to offer in our practice."
Artworks find their natural place throughout the 12,900 square feet of living space, not counting the 3,200 square feet dedicated to the semi-underground gym. Upon entry, visitors are greeted by a sphere suspended by a thread above a mound of sand – an installation by Jose Dávila that had to be placed on a round platform with dimensions commissioned directly from the Mexican artist to protect it from children's passage. On the wall, Patrick Hamilton's photograph of sand from the Atacama Desert responds to this piece.
In the main living room, a vibrant green painting by Antonio Ballester Moreno sits alongside a golden stylized bust. On either side of doors leading to the TV room, works by Richard Serra and Eduardo Martin del Pozo create dialogue, while in the dining room, a painting by Jacobo Castellano brings geometric blue elements near the white and black minimalism of a canvas by John Isaacs.
The couple claims this house is "uninhibited for Madrid, lived naturally with all its character and without being show-off. This undoubtedly reflects its owners and our desire to recreate spaces and furniture that are not only refined but functional and endowed with soul." The dining room features a custom table and chairs designed by the interior architects, with a suspension light by Michel Boyer, while the bedroom includes custom nightstands with table lamps by François Dimesch and an Abbatte x Casa Muñoz plaid.
The bathroom showcases serene tones with grooved beige marble, golden brass, and ivory curtains, completing this comprehensive vision of contemporary luxury living that successfully bridges the gap between architectural rigor and comfortable, soulful interior design.
