Structural column in new color scheme stands in a colorful interior with timber stadiums.

Madrid’s Casa JAM Transforms with Bold Colors and Sliding Panels by gon architects

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Written by Flynn Matthews

2026-07-23

Reimagining Space Through Sliding Panels

In the heart of Madrid’s Argüelles neighborhood, Casa JAM redefines conventional space by replacing doors with floor-to-ceiling sliding panels. Designed by gon architects for Toni, an aerospace project manager, the 78-square-meter apartment revolutionizes how private rooms function. These panels allow spaces to expand, contract, or vanish entirely, creating a dynamic living environment.

Merger of Art and Functionality

The apartment sits within the 19th-century grid of Madrid’s Castro Plan, notable for its deep blocks and courtyards. Managed by Gonzalo Pardo, the design studio optimized this top-floor location, using the east-facing terrace as a unique feature. The objective was dual: inhabit a space like an artwork and form a lasting residence.

Outdoor shower situated near a desk, ideal for quick work breaks.
An outdoor shower sits close enough to the desk to double as a five-minute break

From Corridor to Connectivity

The original long, narrow corridor was transformed into a design opportunity. Drawing on Robin Evans’s theories, the studio restructured circulation by introducing a large diagonal. This strategy turned thresholds into interactive spaces, fostering a sense of openness rather than control.

View showing every room from one spot, sliding panels open or closed.
Every room stays visible from this spot, whether the sliding panels are open or shut

Adaptive Interior Design

The corridor was reinterpreted using a series of sliding doors, each with distinct textures and colors. This flexibility allows the room configurations to evolve with Toni’s needs, transforming the static layout into a dynamic living organism.

Explore how adaptive interior design enhances modern living spaces with Innauer-Matt Architekten’s Mobile Exhibition House in the Austrian Mountains for more creative inspiration.

Corner mirror reflects a compact kitchen, efficiently using space.
The mirror on the corner doubles a kitchen that has no spare inches to lose

Colored Volumes and New Perspectives

Four colorful volumes redefine the apartment’s spaces. A Klein blue box houses the bathroom, a wooden-framed volume encloses the bedroom, a green shower space, and a yellow kitchen. This kitchen serves as both a functional hub and an observation point over the apartment’s shared areas.

Dive into the synergy of color and architecture by exploring Valencia’s phone-repair store for more design vibrancy.

Former dark hallway now perceived as four distinct rooms in a row.
What used to be a single dark hallway now reads as four different rooms end to end

Open Plan Lifestyle

The yellow kitchen opens to a unified living and dining area, elevating furniture to integral architectural components. This fluid space flows onto a terrace, blurring the line between interior and the expansive Madrid skyline.

Three distinct materials converge at a seam without matching each other.
Three materials meet at this one seam, and none of them was asked to match the others

A New Lens of Observation

The kitchen’s design, allowing visibility across the apartment, adds an intriguing twist. It represents a shift from traditional control to a reimagined form of spatial flow. Casa JAM blends art and practicality, inviting endless reinterpretation of living spaces.

Reeded glass provides bedroom privacy while keeping an open feel.
The reeded glass blurs enough to keep the bedroom private without ever closing it off

The project exemplifies innovative residential design, where adaptability and artistic influence converge to remodel urban life.

Tiled bench designed to withstand Madrid rain, avoiding upholstery.
The bench is tiled, not upholstered, on the assumption that Madrid rain will find it anyway

Source: urdesignmag.com