Chalk & Cheese

Chalk & Cheese: Madrid

Style and comfort go hand in hand in this stylish central Madrid apartment, where your hosts have taken a great deal of care to create a lovely space that's an absolute pleasure to spend time in.

The living room is set out by two sets of French doors that can be opened up on warm evenings to let the city's vibrant atmosphere drift in on the breeze. Here you'll find a hefty coffee table made from gnarled wood and highly polished steel that exemplifies what this home is all about. In the adjacent space, you'll find a small but perfectly formed kitchen that's more than capable of handling anything you can throw at/over it.

Set back from the road, the bedroom offers a relaxing haven to retire to at the end of a busy day, complete with eye-catching artwork and natural light to ensure a gentle wake-up call each morning.

Down at street level, Alonso Martínez serves as a link between different neighbourhoods. Here, you'll find plenty of independent boutiques and family-run restaurants serving people from all walks of life. With upmarket Salamanca to the east, magnificent Chamberí in the north, and Tribunal and Chueca south, you're well situated to explore the well-heeled side of the city.

Home truths:
*The apartment is served by an elevator, so it may be suitable for those with limited mobility
*We'd suggest that you don't bring a car as there's no designated parking
*The dining table doubles as a laptop-friendly workspace
*Given the central location, you might notice some street noise at certain times
*At capacity, two guests will be sleeping on a pull-down bed in the living room
* The apartment has an underfloor heating and cooling system in place of air conditioning