In Madrid's exclusive Barrio de Salamanca district, inside the La Casa de las Bolas building, sits a 280 square metre duplex penthouse with a triangular layout. Madrid's ABAG Studio transformed this challenging geometry - not by demolishing the existing structures, but by embracing them. Exposed steel painted white, dark wood panelling and noble materials remain the foundation of the interior.

A social zone under the exposed structure

The heart of the apartment combines the living room, dining room and open kitchen under the architectural steel structure. "The fireplace, clad in Verde Alpi marble, acts as a focal point and brings" contemporary art deco accents. The round dining table and open kitchen reinforce the gathering-space concept.

A living room with soft curves

Rounded sofas, circular rugs and round tables soften the triangular geometry and the exposed steel structural beams. Green seats, reddish accents and artworks bring colour while keeping the calm aesthetic, using the large windows to maximise natural light.

An open space of full amplitude

The triangular layout becomes a zoning tool rather than a source of awkward corners. The light oak floor and a palette of cream, black, green and terracotta tie the connected spaces together.

The fireplace as a design statement

"The fireplace is one of the most expressive pieces in the penthouse," crafted in Verde Alpi marble, creating a vertical graphic strength and sophistication. This is where the apartment breaks away from standard Madrid interiors - not through eccentricity, but through a specific anchor point around which everything else is organised.

A sculptural kitchen island

The open kitchen has an island with clear volumes, black details and curved edges that extend the rounded architectural vocabulary. From island to sofa - the whole apartment speaks the same gestural language.

A bedroom with travertine

"The bed headboard is made from a travertine piece with rounded corners," set against dark oak panelling beneath white ceiling beams - a contemporary retreat from all the effects of the living zone. Dark wardrobes with clean lines are contrasted with light curtains.

The upper floor as a flexible space

The second floor works as a family room, an office or a potential guest bedroom with its own bathroom. Interior windows framed in clean stone over dark panelling "visually connect this level to the living zone and amplify natural light several times over".

For a Balkan visitor, this isn't a story about luxury - it's a story about approach. The apartment's architecture already existed with that exposed steel structure; most owners would have hidden it behind plaster. ABAG left everything on the surface and painted it white. That's a difference no budget can imitate - that's the difference a decision makes.