London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

A Madrid Artist’s Studio Is Filled With Sunlight, Texture, and Creative Inspiration

A Madrid Artist’s Studio Is Filled With Sunlight, Texture, and Creative Inspiration

Zooco Estudio creates a sublime workspace on the top floor of a painter’s home.

In Madrid, Zooco Estudio prioritized simplicity, organic textures, and daylighting to create an artist’s studio for a painter and writer in his fifties. "The client wanted a workshop where he could write, paint, and meditate," architect Miguel Crespo Picot says. "The design is based on ideas about austerity, warmth, having different perspectives, and the notion that having just enough-and not more than what is necessary-is the key to creativity."



Natural oak, wicker, and bright white walls define this Madrid art studio designed by Zooco Estudio for a painter and writer.

Located in Tercio y Terol, a historic suburb in the San Isidro neighborhood of the Carabanchel district, the studio lies on the upper level of the artist’s home. "It’s a quiet, economical area with larger homes near the center of town," says Picot. The firm completely reimagined the home’s upper level, which was dark and compartmentalized with small windows and a thick concrete slab floor.



Located on the upper level of the artist’s home, the studio features built-in cabinetry around a mirror and sink, where the painter can wash his brushes and hands.



The sink area is crafted from smooth stone, warm bronze, tactile wicker, and natural oak.

To recreate the home’s upper level as a light-filled studio, the design team removed all of the partition walls, joined the spaces, and employed skylights, mirrors, larger openings, and built-in shelving, cabinetry, and drawers. "We created open-plan exhibition areas, different workspaces, and storage to hold books, papers, supplies, and paintings," Picot says. "We positioned the mirrors at very specific perspective points to reflect sunlight, play visual tricks, and provide a sense of luminosity."



Oak shelving frames a glass door that leads to a large terrace, where the artist can paint or rest.



The indoor/outdoor quality of the art studio supplies creative inspiration for the painter and writer.

The mirrors bounce light throughout the interior and make the studio feel larger than it is. "Spaciousness and light are important for painting and writing," says Picot. Ledges integrated beneath the mirrors provide places for the artist to display, analyze, and correct paintings.



A ladder leads to a loft area for meditation above cabinetry made of oak and wicker panels.



A large mirror with oak ledges provides a place for the artist to post and review his work.

The architect and his team also designed a loft area for meditation, and a large terrace, where the artist can paint, rest, and feel linked with the natural landscape. "It was important to create this outdoor connection because the studio is at the same height as the treetops around it," Picot says.



Zooco Estudio created different work and exhibition areas that make the studio feel both expansive and flexible.

Organic materials like oak and wicker lend texture and warmth, and reference the surrounding tree trunks and branches. The design team created a built-in storage system with oak and wicker panels around a basin where the artist can wash his paintbrushes.



The staircase that leads from the home’s first level to the upper-level art studio serves as a display area for artworks and features built-in storage.



The bright white walls and staircase offset the warm tone and texture of the oak treads and cabinetry.

"The natural textures with the white walls and white-painted metal trusses establish the character of this studio," Picot says. "The client wanted to have contact with natural elements that would help create a comfortable and inspirational studio—a refuge for an artist."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
×