With blood, sweat, tears—and a little more money than he cared to spend—architect Bilbo García-Conde has completed his own home. The project that began in 2018, is awash with colour and space-age charm, complete with a red rocket in the living room.

The architect who runs his own studio, CDP Arquitectos based out of Madrid with two friends, specialises in well-resolved residential design. For this project, Bilbo was able to bring his know-how and skills to a space that is true to his own unique aesthetic.

“My dream was to turn an industrial warehouse into a home, but since I couldn’t find one, I bought a building and put the warehouse on top of it,” Bilbo very nonchalantly explains. The warehouse in question is a large five-metre tall structure covered with grey sheet metal and a gabled roof placed on an existing building dating back to the 1930s.

In Spain, changing the use of the floor in urban design is particularly difficult, so the clearest path to Bilbo’s dream home was to build his own industrial loft on the top of an old acquired building. The stars aligned as he found an old corner house that was perfect for the project.

The adventurous project was not without its challenges though. “To do this house in Madrid is like constructing a shop centre—it’s crazy,” confessed Bilbo. To achieve the desired effect, the original house had to be gutted with only the original 1930s facade remaining.

Inside, the home is warm and eccentric, much like its owner. “The house is from 1930, the year in which Neil Armstrong was born, then in 1969 he landed on the Moon, and in 2019, when we moved, he turned 50, so I paid tribute to him. All the decorations are Space Age, with second-hand or auction pieces, there are even things found on the street,” explains the architect in true Bilbo fashion.

“I think everyone has to find what makes them happy, and for me, my house makes me so happy. It’s because of the space and the colours, like Peter Pan that dreams to go back to when he was young, me too, this house makes me younger.”

He may be his own client, but that’s one very good testimonial.

[Images courtesy of Bilbo García-Conde. Photography by Mercedes Perez.]

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