Alberto Porras and Ignacio Carrasco, both of whom hold extensive careers in the areas of furniture, kitchens, and interior design, decided to pursue a joint project at the beginning of 2013: a new bulthaup showroom in Madrid.

After a long search for a space that would offer the ideal features for promoting the bulthaup brand, they found a venue that met every one of their requirements: an exclusive neighborhood; a bustling, wide street; and a large shop window in full view of all passers-by. The location was O’Donnell street, in the Salamanca district.

This unique, 180 m2 space, located in a building dating from 1963, features a split-level cubic box shape with a huge, 50 m2 glass façade, a highly unusual element in Madrid construction from that period.

The materials originally used for the façade are wood, granite, and Colmenar limestone. Two huge concrete columns frame the shop window.

A thorough renovation was required to adapt the venue to its new use. To maximize visibility of the interior from the outside, all the woodwork was changed, and the original glass window, formerly split into two sections, was replaced with one single, full-height glass surface.

The strikingly vertical entrance (4.5 m high by 1 m wide), flanked by the two original columns, creates a dramatic, monumental, theatrical effect. The idea is that people visiting the showroom, both those already familiar with the brand and those new to bulthaup, realize that they are walking into a different kind of kitchen studio, where thought is not only given to the layout of the furniture and the appliances, but also to the aim of designing projects that stem from a global architectural concept, organizing and redistributing the space around the kitchen, whenever necessary, to maximize its potential. Based on this initial notion, materials and finishes were carefully selected for the vertical and horizontal surfaces, with special care given to color and lighting–so important and often neglected–to create spaces that are both functional and inviting.

All these decisions contributed to configuring a neutral shell that makes it possible to change the furniture on exhibit without creating aesthetic conflicts. The floor on the ground level was covered with microcement in a neutral sand color, whereas the upper level features large-format solid Douglas fir flooring in a neutral shade with a soap finish. The vertical surfaces were painted in a magnolia color and the walls across from the entrance were covered with Viroc panels, composed of a mixture of compressed wood particles and cement.

The new showroom exhibits four kitchens, conveying bulthaup’s broad range of possibilities. On the ground floor, a suspended working b3 kitchen in matte white lacquer and natural oak with a stainless steel worktop is ready to be used for show cooking; across from it, a second bulthaup b3 with an island presents a warm combination of walnut and laminate in a clay hue. Between the two, we find a walnut-finished kitchen workshop and a workbench that doubles as a table for clients to sit down with the showroom staff and hold initial informal meetings. On the upper level, a totally functional b1 kitchen in matte white lacquer emanates an air of serenity.

The tall ceilings and split level of the new showroom allow for a sweeping overall view of the brand, offering a varied itinerary through its exhibition spaces, a working kitchen, and areas for work and for meetings, each with its distinct character: a successful combination–and a visit you won’t want to miss.

bulthaup O’Donnell in Arquitectura y Diseño. Nº 163