Find Nature in the Middle of Madrid - El Olivar de Castillejo

Path towards the house surrounded by olive trees

Madrid has it! incredible surprises when you least expect it. Wandering randomly throuhg Chamartin district,  I discovered an amazing place: Fundación Olivar de Castillejo. A true olive grove with more than 100 olive trees in a hectare of land, located in the middle, but really in the hub of town. Between streets Alberto Alcocer and Enri Dunant with entrance through Menendez Pidal 11. Amazing! A smaill uninviting door without signs or indications, go through it and get literally teletransported into the deep countryside, one of those Andalusian "ventas" dotted with olive trees, flowerbeds and small paths ....

Elite Gourmet Party at Casa de Velazquez

We have been to a very tasty event this week organised by Elite Gourmet, Spanish seal of quality for gourmet products, in an outstanding venue called Casa de Velazquez. The building belongs to the French Ministry of culture and is named after painter Velazquez because the legend says he liked to paint from that same spot sunsets and mountain views. Sigue leyendo, en español más abajo.

Casa Decor 2013 - A Yearly Appointment (we cannot miss)

Another year Casa Decor opens its doors in Madrid!! This time more challenging than ever. Designers need to transform a very 60's circular shaped office building, former british embassy, into residential spaces. Conceived as a diplomatic complex, the building is self-contained with its own system of security, electrical and water systems. And a very difficult layout. A real challenge and an extraordinary outcome! worth the visit!

Casa Decor Madrid 2012

Casa Decor is a yearly appointment I cannot miss in Madrid. I enjoy very much to see how different decorators interpret a raw space and transform it to become: cozy, modern, minimal, baroque, country, etc…so varied! Getting from one room to another mutates a universe of taste and aesthetics.
I always get lots of practical ideas for my own house; some very cheap and easy that I can implement right away and some that will enlarge my wish list...

Urban Veggie Garden - new trend in Madrid

Just because you don't have a big back yard doesn't mean you can't reap the benefits of a vegetable garden in the city. A sunny window ledge, balcony, patio, or roof deck with six or more hours of full sun will provide plenty of space to cultivate and harvest veggies.

In Madrid many initiatives prove that cultivating your own food is a new winning trend!!

Garden Landscaping - Maria Maroto

Wonderful flowering

Not many people have garden (even tiny) in Madrid. But if you happen to have a space; big or small, terrace, patio, balcony or garden and you want to shape it up, call Maria Maroto.