Villa 2030: Studio Plutarco Reworks the Great Modernist Villas in a Madrid Apartment

The oft-quoted maxim, “Good artists copy; great artists steal,” points to the way genuinely creative minds do not shy away from drawing inspiration from others, but instead absorb and transform those influences into something of their own. The same is true across creative disciplines, as architects Ana Arana and Enrique Ventosa, co-founders of Madrid-based Studio Plutarco, demonstrate. Having developed a highly distinctive, exuberant design language underpinned by bold colour, graphic pattern and unexpected material pairings, the pair readily foreground the references that inform their projects. Their latest, Villa 2030, Ventosa's home in Madrid’s Embajadores neighbourhood, channels the pair's shared love of the grand villas of the 1930s while remaining insistently contemporary. Both a residence and a manifesto, as every architect's own home tends to be, the house is a paradigm of how the past can be a living material, still capable of surprising us when it passes through the right hands.

Arana and Ventosa’s fascination with the modernist villas of the 1930s is far from a passing interest; it has also shaped Arana’s recently completed Madrid home. But whereas her residence occupied an actual 1930s villa, whose history inevitably became part of the design conversation, Ventosa’s takes over a 1990s building, whose near-rectangular floor plan, ribbon windows and concrete pillar structure imposed far fewer historical constraints, giving the architects even greater freedom to express their own visual language.

A candid family moment animates Villa 2030’s kitchen, where butter-yellow cabinetry, red framing and a black-and-white checkerboard floor form a graphic backdrop. A man holds a baby beside a seated woman at the timber table, bringing a lived-in warmth to Studio Plutarco’s highly composed interior. — Ana Arana and Enrique Ventosa. Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

The living room looks back towards Villa 2030’s entrance, framed by tall bands of circular glass blocks and terracotta-red structure. A cream padded armchair with a red tubular frame sits on an indigo carpet, while the oversized timber coat cupboard beyond establishes a warm counterpoint to the translucent partition. — Ana Arana and Enrique Ventosa. Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Glass blocks form a luminous backdrop to Villa 2030’s living room, where a pivoting timber door opens towards the plant-filled entrance. Soft grey seating, a sculptural cream armchair on a red tubular frame and a tiled white table sit over a deep purple carpet beneath the home’s terracotta-red industrial ceiling. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Treating the property as a tabula rasa, they began by stripping the plan back and reorganising it around a large T-shaped wall of glass blocks, whose circular reliefs filter light while separating the different rooms. Conceptually, the strategy was just as radical. “Building a sort of Exquisite Corpse or Frankenstein out of projects we admire was our starting point,” the architects explain. References range from Pierre Chareau, Robert Mallet-Stevens and Le Corbusier to Eileen Gray, Piero Portaluppi and Adolf Loos, with individual spaces paying homage to specific buildings and interiors. The home’s pleasure lies partly in recognising these citations and partly in seeing how artfully they have been pulled apart, recombined and filtered through Plutarco’s distinctive lens.

The tone is set with an entrance conceived as a 1900s-style greenhouse. Outdoor cues such as exotic plants, a wall-mounted hose reel and a linear drain sit alongside a monumental timber coat cupboard raised above the floor to protect it from irrigation water. Deep aubergine, sky blue and vanilla hues, inspired by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret’s Villa La Roche, meet translucent glass blocks and patterned terrazzo flooring in a composition that feels theatrical yet timeless.

A reverse view of Villa 2030’s greenhouse-like entrance reveals a dense composition of palms, ferns and broad-leaf plants against translucent glass blocks. Speckled terrazzo flooring, an aubergine wall and colourful planters temper the utilitarian architecture, creating an entry sequence that feels part conservatory, part domestic threshold. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Villa 2030’s greenhouse-like entrance layers domestic and outdoor cues: lush tropical planting surrounds a terracotta-red door, while a sky-blue wall, aubergine window reveal and black-and-white terrazzo floor establish the home’s bold palette. A coiled yellow hose reinforces Studio Plutarco’s playful treatment of utilitarian garden elements. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Dense foliage partially obscures Villa 2030’s glass-block partition, turning the entrance into an indoor garden of layered transparencies and reflections. Terracotta-red metal framing traces the architecture behind the plants, while the circular reliefs of the glass blocks distort light and glimpses of adjoining spaces beyond. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Villa 2030’s living room layers colour and eras with characteristic Studio Plutarco confidence. A deep purple carpet anchors an emerald sofa, striped rust seating and a butter-yellow armchair, while a terracotta-painted ceiling and column frame the composition. Art, books and sculptural furniture make the open-plan space feel collected rather than coordinated. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

A rust-red striped sofa sits beneath broad horizontal blinds in Villa 2030’s living room, surrounded by an oversized fiddle-leaf fig and a dense autumnal floral arrangement. The deep purple carpet and dark aubergine wall intensify the vintage-retro mood, while filtered daylight gives the saturated palette an unexpectedly soft quality. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

A dramatic floral arrangement in rust, burgundy and ochre crowns Studio Plutarco’s México City chest of drawers, whose speckled upholstery-like finish, striped cylindrical supports and dark red connecting rails turn storage into sculpture. Soft white curtains behind allow the saturated colours and unusual material combinations to take centre stage. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Villa 2030’s eclectic living room centres on Faye Toogood’s sculptural Puffy armchair, its cream upholstery wrapped around a vivid red tubular frame. A deep indigo carpet, emerald seating, terracotta-painted concrete and Studio Plutarco’s geometric México chest of drawers create a richly layered composition of colour, texture and collectible design. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Beyond a large pivoting timber door fitted with life-size hand-shaped handles, the house opens into a roughly 100-square-metre living space organised as a sequence of overlapping scenes. Circular glass blocks, linoleum flooring and suspended cable trays, the latter painted terracotta red along with the exposed concrete structure, nod towards the industrial poetry of Pierre Chareau’s Maison de Verre, as does the interplay of warm and cool hues.

An eclectic collection of furniture further enriches the setting, mixing bespoke pieces such as Plutarco’s own STV sofa and MEXICO CITY CHEST OF DRAWERS, the latter from their Memphis Group-inflected Gancedópolis collection celebrating Gancedo’s 80th anniversary, with modernist and contemporary icons including Terje Ekstrøm’s Ekstrem chair, Vico Magistretti’s Maralunga sofa, Zanotta’s Quaderna table and Faye Toogood’s Puffylounge chair, all anchored by an expansive deep indigo carpet.

Anchoring a central dining area is a brick-red dining table surrounded by Plutarco’s Sistema chairs, whose fully padded, upholstered forms, vivid green hue and oversized perforations give them an almost architectural presence. Ingo Maurer’s Zettel’z light hangs overhead, while books, objects and small artworks related to food line the wall behind.

A low metal bookcase transforms one wall of Villa 2030 into an informal display of books, sculptures and playful objects, beneath a salon-style grouping of food-themed artworks. The rough white wall retains its cracks and texture, contrasting with the precise joinery, terracotta floor and plush green Sistema dining chair in the foreground. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Framed by glass-block walls, Villa 2030’s main dining area pairs a substantial brick-red table with Studio Plutarco’s green upholstered Sistema chairs, their oversized perforations lending a graphic rhythm. Ingo Maurer’s Zettel’z light hovers above, while books, artworks and collected objects animate the wall beyond. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

The living room opens directly towards Villa 2030’s dining area, revealing the home’s deliberately layered plan. An emerald sofa and purple carpet occupy the foreground, while brick-red columns, oversized plants, green upholstered dining chairs and Ingo Maurer’s paper-strewn Zettel’z light create a dense yet coherent sequence of colour, art and furniture. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

The central dining room is organised around a substantial brick-red table and rows of fully upholstered green Sistema chairs with oversized circular perforations. Ingo Maurer’s Zettel’z light hovers overhead, while books, objects and small artworks line the wall behind, turning the room into an eclectic, highly personal domestic gallery. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Villa 2030’s more formal dining zone is defined by deep terracotta surfaces, white perimeter curtains and a long custom sapele-wood table with integrated storage and concealed seating. A central concrete column divides the composition, while a suspended linear light and a classical fragment mounted on a dark panel add a deliberately theatrical note. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Further back, a second, more formal dining zone sits on a sapele-wood podium, with a long table for 16 inspired by Donald Judd and chairs that disappear neatly beneath it. Curtains can enclose the entire space, while a rotating screen displaying a fragment of Laocoön by artist Arturo Garrido on one side and a traditional portrait painting on the other introduces another theatrical flourish.

Though separate, the kitchen remains visually connected to the dining room through a wide opening. Butter-yellow cabinetry, glossy wall tiles and a black-and-white checkerboard floor look back to the kitchen of Robert Mallet-Stevens’ Villa Cavrois. Opposite, an open stainless-steel cooking station introduces the logic of a professional kitchen, complete with power outlets suspended from the ceiling on coiled cables, an industrial touch that Plutarco turns characteristically playful.

A sculptural fragment inspired by the Laocoön is mounted against a dark rectangular screen in Villa 2030’s formal dining area. Framed by softly pleated white curtains and the terracotta-painted ceiling, the classical reference becomes an unexpected focal point within Studio Plutarco’s otherwise distinctly contemporary setting. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

A closer view of Villa 2030’s formal dining area highlights the monumental sapele-wood table inspired by Donald Judd, with stools tucked neatly beneath its rectilinear volume. Pale sculptural vessels and a suspended tubular light introduce lighter accents, while white curtains and a classical torso on a dark panel temper the room’s rich terracotta envelope. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

A frontal view of the formal dining space highlights the rhythmic joinery of the long sapele table against a luminous wall of circular glass blocks. Timber doors with hand-shaped handles flank the composition, while pale sculptural vessels and an elongated industrial pendant temper the room’s rich terracotta and wood palette. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

The kitchen is framed from the living space by bands of glass block and terracotta-painted structure. Butter-yellow cabinetry rises above a black-and-white checkerboard floor, while a dark marbled console, dried foliage and a colourful architectural object sharpen the threshold. The composition balances retro domesticity with Studio Plutarco’s graphic maximalism. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Villa 2030’s kitchen pairs butter-yellow cabinetry with a crisp black-and-white checkerboard floor inspired by Robert Mallet-Stevens’ Villa Cavrois. A simple timber table and powder-blue chairs soften the graphic scheme, while yellow blinds filter warm daylight across the marble worktop and streamlined cabinetry, giving the room a sunny retro-modern character. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Seen through a glass-block threshold, the guest bedroom is wrapped in earthy terracotta tones and soft filtered light. Grey-and-white striped bedding, mustard cushions and rust-coloured curtains create a warm base for an unusually dense arrangement of framed artworks, photographs and masks, giving the room the intimacy of a personal cabinet of curiosities. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

The guest bedroom’s headboard wall becomes an exuberant salon-style display of paintings, photographs, drawings, masks and small objects, all set against a muted terracotta ground. Striped bedding and ochre cushions keep the foreground restrained, while the adjacent glass-block wall admits diffuse light and reinforces the room’s layered, collected atmosphere. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

A pale blue alcove at Villa 2030 becomes a highly personal display of religious imagery, folk art, ceramics and small sculptural objects. Terracotta-red framing and surrounding glass blocks sharpen the composition, while timber shelves supported by whimsical hand-shaped brackets underscore Studio Plutarco’s playful approach to collecting and display. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

A close view of Villa 2030’s blue display wall reveals an eclectic assemblage of devotional imagery, Mexican folk objects, ceramics, miniature sculptures and framed works. White hand-shaped shelf brackets extend playfully beyond the timber shelves, turning a collection of personal artefacts into an exuberant domestic installation — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Villa 2030’s painting studio embraces an unfinished, almost brutalist character, with exposed concrete, patched plaster and visible services set against blue rubber flooring. A stainless-steel sink and stacks of canvases reinforce its working purpose, while yellow blinds and layered curtains introduce warmth and colour to the raw shell. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Villa 2030’s painting studio deliberately retains the rough layers of the existing interior, pairing mottled plaster walls with blue rubber flooring. A large figurative canvas rests on an easel beside a wheeled trolley of paints, while a small table, white chair and filtered daylight establish the room as an active working space rather than a polished display. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

A compact washroom is enveloped in deep burgundy, creating an intimate, almost theatrical atmosphere. A slender white pedestal basin and circular striped mirror punctuate the monochrome walls, while a narrow chest of drawers and sculptural vase bring warmth and domestic character to the otherwise pared-back composition. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

A compact bathroom is rendered almost entirely in deep burgundy, from the walls to the ceiling, creating a cocoon-like monochrome interior. A white toilet and slender metal roll holder provide stark contrast, while a red-striped towel and framed photograph of a white horse introduce graphic details without disrupting the room’s spare composition. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Villa 2030’s master bedroom juxtaposes shimmering silver curtains with a maroon ceiling, blue rubber flooring and a mottled indigo shag rug. A black tubular canopy frames the bed, while crisp white bedding, a bold red-and-cream blanket and marble bedside table layer softness, colour and graphic contrast. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

The painting studio and guest room share identical, mirrored layouts yet diverge completely in mood. The studio leaves existing layers of plaster exposed, while the guest room is conceived as an earth-toned cabinet of curiosities, with hand-patterned curtains and a salon-style, art-filled wall.

The master bedroom, meanwhile, riffs on the room Adolf Loos designed for his wife Lina in 1903, replacing its all-white palette with maroon-painted ceilings, blue Pirelli rubber flooring and silver perimeter curtains, the latter concealing built-in cabinets along three sides. A black tubular canopy bed, oak joinery and a shaggy rug with an abstract, mottled pattern in indigo and white add to the room’s layered tactility.

A close view of the master bed brings together warm oak joinery, crisp white linens and the black tubular canopy. Hand-shaped cupboard handles and a pale geometric artwork introduce playful details, while a perforated brick lamp and silver curtain sharpen the contrast between natural, industrial and reflective materials. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

A close-up isolates the master bedroom’s shimmering silver curtain against the circular reliefs of Villa 2030’s glass-block partition. The two translucent surfaces interact through reflection and distortion, creating an abstract study in light, texture and repetition that captures the project’s fascination with unconventional material pairings. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Studio Plutarco’s master bedroom reinterprets Lina Loos’s celebrated all-white room through a richer material palette. A black tubular canopy frames crisp white bedding and a red graphic blanket, while shimmering silver curtains conceal perimeter storage. An indigo-and-cream shag rug, maroon ceiling and striped bench amplify the room’s tactile, eclectic character. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

Silver curtains wrap the master bedroom’s perimeter, filtering daylight into a soft metallic glow around the black canopy bed. The orange-red floral blanket, ochre cushion and blue rubber floor introduce saturated colour, while an exposed wall light and slender bedside fixture lend an industrial edge to the tactile scheme. — Photography by Germán Saiz⁠.

The master bathroom brings Eileen Gray and Piero Portaluppi into the conversation. Pedestal sinks and glossy black tiles with curved corners, a signature detail of Villa Necchi, sit alongside a bathtub set within a double high-gloss curve in homage to the bathroom of Villa E-1027. Domino-patterned terrazzo flooring and butter-yellow tones return, while a commissioned painting by Alfonso del Moral depicting a nude male figure posed against a dark forest, a subversive reversal of the Western canon’s classical female nude, heightens the scheme’s seductive theatricality.

Del Moral’s painting evocatively encapsulates Studio Plutarco’s approach in designing Villa 2030. For Arana and Ventosa, the past provides a vast reference library to be recast through contemporary sensibilities. As the architects put it, the project reinforces their belief that “even a hundred years ago, people were designing with a very modern and contemporary mindset.” Villa 2030 simply picks up that conversation and carries it forward.