Bodegón Cabinet renovated an apartment, located in a 1930’s building in the center of Valencia, restoring its original architectural elements while incorporating them, through the geometry of the arch, into the new design approach that is based on the owners’ daily life.
-text by the authors
Grandpa´s house
Jesusas is the result of a house renovation in the city centre of Valencia. The house is located on a 1934-s building that belongs to the rationalist Valencian era.
The curved facade, big bay windows, and tubular railings and details will set the language of the renovation and recovery of the original details.
Bonjo and Miguel, our clients, confided their family patrimony to us so that we could recreate the character and story not only of the building and the house, but that of their loved ones. The first approach was mindful. Every detail and material brought us closer to the original house. The discoveries: The original mosaic floor was covered by the 90´s terrazzo tiles, with arches in the transitions between spaces, and moldings and ceiling details that create a very unique atmosphere. The goal now was to transform it into a unique house for Miguel and Bonjo.
The program and a modern life
Beyond the original details that helped us build up a unique language for the intervention, it was important to add up the ingredients of our clients´ daily life. One is passionate about cooking and the other is a tireless engineer that is currently working remotely. This required clear house zoning. Some private areas for working and resting and a generous and open space open to all the friends they love having around. One of the main interventions was to connect the kitchen with the living and dining room and to understand all three spaces as one. This space thus becomes a public area, absorbing the light through a balcony and a big bay window and creating a nice airflow through the apartment. A pleasant breeze.
An original doorway arch connects the public and the private space through the corridor.
This geometry creates a pattern that is replicated in all the doors, using coloured and textured glass as a reminder of the original materials and changing the scale of the space. The corridor becomes a complex space full of light and visual connections. The bathrooms allowed us to play and experiment with the proposed colour palette. The bedroom resolves a sensitive issue, the poor acoustic insulation of the building. This is achieved while implementing the concept formal resources: soft geometries and the preservation and rehabilitation of the original moldings.
Colour and materiality
There were memories from the clients about the original colours from the very first conversations, so we decided to build a story about it.
The colour palette arised from the appreciation and recognition of some landmarks of the apartment’s past.
We can highlight the green patterned custom-made kitchen bench (by Huguet Mallorca), the warm coloured glass as well as the shades and patterns of the original floors against the quietness of the soft tones of the bedroom.
Facts & Credits
Project title Jesusas
Typology Renovation, Interiors, Residential
Location Calle Jesus, Valencia, Spain
Date 2020
Design Bodegón Cabinet
Collaborators Elo Construcciones
Photography José Hevia
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