Color-block artwork connects rooms, demonstrating how paula balos transforms this vibrant Majadahonda home.

Paula Ábalos Transforms Majadahonda Home with Colorful Kitchen and Textured Surfaces

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Written by Sam Johnson

2026-08-20

Revitalizing heritage with color

Paula Ábalos arquitectura has expertly reimagined a chalet adosado in Majadahonda, Madrid, preserving its storied past while adapting it to modern needs. The studio used color to transform Casa Boa, avoiding a complete structural overhaul and focusing instead on preserving the home’s legacy while addressing contemporary demands. In this way, the studio redefines the space with creative flair.

A respect for family history

Without altering the home’s internal distribution, Paula Ábalos arquitectura maintained the layout that served previous generations. This continuity reflects the studio’s appreciation for the family’s history, treating it as an asset rather than a constraint. By keeping these elements intact, they rewrite the home’s narrative without losing its essence.

Tall oak unit hides refrigerator, seamless with the storage wall.
The tall oak unit conceals the refrigerator, continuing the storage wall without breaking its surface

Open, light-filled spaces

The renovation primarily focused on the ground floor, where barriers were removed to create an open and luminous space leading to the garden. This change promotes family gatherings over compartmentalized rooms, reflecting a modern lifestyle, as the firm enhances the everyday living experience.

Vanilla grout between white tiles softens the kitchen's rectangular pattern.
The vanilla-toned grout between the broken white tiles keeps the pattern from reading as too rigid a grid

Paula Balos Transforms: The vibrant heart

The kitchen, bathed in pastel-yellow, draws natural light and garden views into the once enclosed space. Its tones reflect the home’s original features, such as the blue-toned extractor hood and repainted staircase railings, tying the past to the present through how the studio redesigns areas with intelligent design choices.

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Cobalt-blue table base matches extractor hood and stair railings in the kitchen.
The dining table’s cobalt-blue base echoes the same blue retained in the kitchen’s original extractor hood and stair railings

Functional elegance in storage

An oak cabinet subtly defines the transition to the staircase while offering storage and hiding the refrigerator. This simple joinery maintains spatial flow without the presence of walls. Here again, the architects transform functionality into an elegant solution.

Round mirror and terracotta vanity contrast with the minimal tiled surfaces.
The round mirror and terracotta vanity float above one of the few surfaces in the house not tied to the kitchen’s tile grid

A cohesive material palette

A consistent material logic defines the home’s surfaces, with a broken white 5×5 tile used on walls and floors. The soft vanilla-toned grout subdues the grid’s potential starkness, creating a gentle backdrop that lets the house’s colors stand out.

Red and pink bedroom palette diverges from the kitchen's yellow and blue theme.
The bedroom’s red and pink palette breaks from the kitchen’s yellow and blue, giving each room its own distinct color key

The allure of texture and color

A stunning terrazzo countertop in ochre, amber, and almond tones provides a rich textural focal point. This approach — using vibrant materials on a neutral base — echoes the strategic use of color to organize Midori Arquitectura’s compact Madrid attic. Through these selections, the ambiance is transformed with expertise.

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Folding table shaded by garden trees, viewed from the dining room.
The folding table sits in dappled shade cast by the same garden trees visible through the dining room doors

Balancing bold with subtle

The home’s palette is completed by Ondarreta furniture in complementary blues, amber, and terracotta, harmonizing with the kitchen’s colors without overpowering them. Select pieces from IKEA’s PS line add playful touches, ensuring the renovation retains a sense of lived-in comfort and imperfection. In this culmination, the redesign aligns every corner with the broader vision.

Cobalt dining table stands out against the patio's brick and plaster.
From the patio, the interior’s cobalt dining table reads as a single point of saturated color against the brick and pale plaster outside

Casa Boa stands as a testament to Paula Ábalos arquitectura’s inventive design, where a thoughtful blend of color and material reshapes a family home into a vibrant yet respectful space, showcasing how the firm transforms environments thoughtfully and effectively.

Source: urdesignmag.com

Frequently asked questions

How did Paula Ábalos transform the Majadahonda home?

Paula Ábalos arquitectura transformed the home by using color to preserve its legacy while addressing modern needs. The firm avoided a structural overhaul and instead focused on creative design changes that maintained the home’s historical elements.

What changes were made to the kitchen in the transformation?

The kitchen was transformed with pastel-yellow tones to draw in natural light and garden views. It incorporated original features like the blue-toned extractor hood and repainted staircase railings to connect the past with the present.

What innovative materials were used in the renovation?

A stunning terrazzo countertop in ochre, amber, and almond tones was used, providing a rich textural focal point. An oak cabinet was employed to subtly define spaces and provide elegant storage solutions without using walls.