The Expanded Columns is the second project of the series Urban Cabinet by architect Beatriz Arroyo and artist Lys Villalba, whose mission is to rehabilitate open-block housing units from the 1950s in the Retiro neighborhood in Madrid. The interior was one the finalists for the prize Tile of Spain Awards, which aims to improve awareness and understanding of ceramic tiles made in Spain. The building is located in a garden full of trees, with vegetation being an integral element within the interior space.
Once inside, one can admire the simplicity of the sinuous lines that compose the furnishings and the use of subtle colors such as the pastel green of the table on one side, and more vibrant ones like the blue of the séparée or the orange of the lamps on the other side. The choice of rationalist and bespoke furniture, where each piece is balanced and functional, blends flawlessly undulating shapes, recalls the work of Nanda Vigo, the Italian artist and designer who began working in the 1970s, and particularly her design for the interiors of Gio Ponti’s house, Lo Scarabeo Sotto la Foglia, which has been featured in some horror movies, including La Notte che Evelyn Uscì dalla Tomba (1971) by Emilio Miraglia, where the Italian designer’s furnishings are immortalized in all their components.
The similarities with Vigo’s design go beyond this, especially when considering Beatriz Arroyo’s cherished use of light as a means of expression. The idea of Arroyo and Villalba is to allow this block nestled in nature, to breathe through large, open spaces and the strategic use of natural light. The element of expansion lies in the fact that furniture becomes integrated with the columns, an extension of them, initiating a dialogue where the cement blocks blend with the furniture without rejecting it, in a sort of grafting.
