Casa Muñoz

Those who knock on the door of Casa Muñoz seek homes that are the ne plus ultra in understated luxury. Gonzalo Machado and Mafalda Muñoz, the thirtysomething husband-and-wife team behind this Madrid-based design studio, have not only exquisite taste but a true passion for creating artfully layered interiors rich in soul. It’s in Muñoz’s genes. Her French mother is a noted decorator and her father a legend in Spain for introducing the country to modern interior design. Machado also possesses an incredible eye that has led to a successful dual career as a magazine photographer. For this apartment in Gstaad, the client, according to Muñoz, requested “a place that was elegant and fun, where you can welcome friends but also rest.” A pastel palette of blue, pink and tobacco, characteristic of the Alpine Swiss town, combined with a pleasing assortment of antique and vintage furnishings and warm textures, makes for an ambience at once cheerful and serene. The room’s invention is in the plump double-sided sofa that the couple designed, which faces both the mountains and the hearth. A rustic L-shaped wood coffee table by the brilliant but little-known mid-century Swiss-French designer Janette Laverrière adds a note of subtle sophistication.