Perched above the dramatic cliffs of Mascarat on Spain’s Costa Blanca, Casa Altea by Viruta Lab translates the elemental character of its Mediterranean setting into an interior landscape of rock, shadow, shelter, and light. Rather than resorting to familiar coastal imagery, the duplex evokes the protective intimacy of a contemporary cave, using layered materials, filtered views, and warm mineral tones to soften the vastness of the sea.
Architecture and interior design studio Viruta Lab, led by María Daroz and David Puerta, translates the rugged geography of Mascarat into Casa Altea, a duplex suspended above the Mediterranean on Spain’s Costa Blanca. At the eastern edge of the Sierra de Bèrnia, where the Barranc Salat meets the sea at Morro de Toix, the landscape is shaped by fractured limestone, steep cliffs, deep ravines, and rocky coves sculpted by geological faulting, erosion, and water.
Set within this dramatic terrain of vertical gorges and expansive horizons, the project rejects conventional coastal clichés in favour of a more elemental reading of the site. Stratified rock, deep shadows, filtered light, and the stillness of the sea inform a warm, tactile interior conceived as a contemporary cave—sheltered and serene, yet continuously open to the Mediterranean.
Reinterpreting the Mascarat topography indoors
In Casa Altea, the local topography is foundational. The Mascarat coastline is defined by sharp contrasts, sheer vertical walls, ravines, and stone coves, where the place name itself historically evokes a “difficult passage” or “carved stone.”
The design emerged from a rigorous contextual analysis, a hallmark of Viruta Lab’s methodology to conceptually and visually anchor architecture to its territory.
The project translates this dramatic geography into interior architecture. Wooden slatted paneling echoes the striations of the cliffside, acting as a permeable, almost geological skin that introduces depth, shadow, and rhythm.
A Mediterranean, human scale is introduced through Hisbalit’s two-tone mosaic tiles and Nais’s green ceramic tiles, materials deeply rooted in the craftsmanship of the Spanish Levant.
These elements evoke the shimmering effect of dappled light dancing across stone surfaces. Grounding the spaces, a dark ceramic baseboard runs throughout the layout, emulating the wet waterline of the rocks, that precise point where the cliff meets the sea and the stone darkens from salt, shadow, and the constant lap of the waves.
The overall color palette leans on ochre, sand, honey, and light woods to reproduce the warm limestone of the surroundings, the reflections of the low sun, and the mineral dryness of the Costa Blanca.
Meanwhile, sheer curtains and textile filters introduce the concept of sea mist and a veiled horizon, transforming the intense exterior light into a soft, liveable presence.
A viewpoint layout: filters, sightlines, and the landscape
The main floor is conceived as an elevated viewpoint over Mascarat. From the entrance, the foyer, kitchen, dining area, and living room unfold as one continuous space, directing the eye towards the terrace, cliffs, and sea. Yet the openness remains deliberately adjustable.
Custom-made slatted wooden sliding doors by Nomi operate as movable filters, allowing the residents to control privacy, light, and visual connections. Depending on their position, the panels can transform the open plan into four more autonomous zones while maintaining a sense of continuity.
The result is an architecture of curated sightlines: spaces are defined without becoming isolated.
The wooden slats strike a balance between privacy and continuity, mirroring the Mascarat landscape itself, which naturally alternates between expansive openings, sheer drops, deep shadows, and vistas rushing toward the horizon.
Zoning and elevated perspectives
The bedroom quarters are situated at the rear of the duplex, occupying a more sheltered and private position. Comprising all double bedrooms, this zone forms a protected sanctuary for rest, removed from the direct exposure of the sea-facing facade. In contrast to the open and expansive day areas, this rear wing introduces a more intimate, contained atmosphere, almost carved into the inner stillness of the home.
Within this layout, the primary bedroom reconnects with the topography, functioning as a bedroom-viewpoint, a space to wake up facing the rock, the changing light, and the sea.
Its positioning reinforces the prominence of the landscape within the home, seamlessly integrating the surroundings into daily routines.
On the upper floor, the duplex culminates in a compact home office and a second terrace. This higher elevation introduces a new spatial condition: it is no longer just about looking at the sea from the main living area but commanding the landscape from a privileged vantage point. The office becomes a quiet space for concentration suspended over the Mediterranean, while the upper terrace acts as a final, intimate lookout, allowing the home to peak out from the highest point of its own domestic topography.
Casa Altea operates on a clear premise: transforming the home into a sequence of sensory filters between the dweller and the landscape.
Slatted wood, sliding doors, textiles, ceramics, and level changes serve as precise tools to modulate light, views, privacy, and outdoor connections.
Furniture, craftsmanship, and design icons
The curation of furniture and lighting pieces enhances the tactile, sensory nature of the residential architecture.
In the living room, the space is defined by the Tekiò Horizontal P2 suspension lamp by Santa & Cole, alongside the Graphius sofa and Cliente pouf by Paolo Nessi, upholstered in fabrics from La Madrid and Gabriel. The Lucia dining table by Decowood pairs seamlessly with Santa & Cole’s iconic Ramón chairs, complemented by the Deya side table and the small Pista bench by Ferm Living. The space is completed with stools by Horm (Casamania) and the Fosca stool by Blasco & Vila, illuminated by the technical precision of Ferroluce’s Berimbau wall sconces.
Wool rugs in the living room and primary bedroom feature the Hand loom Goz model by Rug Gan (GAN Rugs), while the secondary bedrooms incorporate Naturtex’s Amalfi rugs, Isabela headboards by Cofaneti, and Mini mirrors by Montana. The upper office features the Sector desk in brass and a walnut side table by Stigido.
The outdoor terrace is fully furnished by Expormim, showcasing the Cask collection—including the outdoor sofa, armchair, and lounger paired with the Talo and Hexagonal tables. The outdoor ensemble is completed with Maurina chairs by Kave Home and Plaff-on 16 wall lamps by Marset.
The interior design solidifies its profound connection to raw materiality through integrated art and craft pieces, such as the ceramic works Kylix Obsidiana, Lebes, Arq 008, and Deriva nº 25 by Canoa Lab, alongside the painting ‘Retrato de mi suegro Paco’ by Más cara que espalda.
Casa Altea is conceived as a place between shelter and openness—a contemporary Mediterranean refuge shaped by the mineral intensity of the cliff and the quiet expansiveness of the sea.
ABOUT VIRUTA LAB
Viruta Lab was born in 2020 as a reflection of the artistic and architectural concerns of designers David Puerta and María Daroz. While he expressed his passion for art by painting on the walls, she trained in the rigorous and delicate discipline of classical ballet. Two lives perfectly blended, working in unison. And this is how their architecture shows itself: functional, balanced, sensitive and expressive. Organic, warm and timeless projects born from active listening, empathy and teamwork with the client. Residential, ephemeral, retail and contract spaces with a purpose: the emotion.
Facts & Credits
Project title Casa Altea
Typology Architecture, Interior Design, Residential
Location Mascarat, Altea, Alicante, Spain
Status Completed, 2026
Architecture Viruta Lab
Architects and Designers Maria Daroz, David Puerta
Photography David Zarzoso
This project was submitted to Archisearch through the “Submit a Story” feature, where architects, designers, and creatives are invited to share their work for publication.