Sunny Tile Shines in a 100-Year-Old Spanish Apartment With a Secret Patio

In the central Valencian neighborhood of El Carmen, a young couple, along with their two dogs and cat, live on the first floor of a 100-year-old building. Recently, they employed the help of local firm DG Estudio to help them restore and reinforce the aging residence.

The couple, who love music, cinema, and animals, gave DG complete freedom to redesign their home, asking only that it be relaxed in spirit and representative of their way of life.

The resulting space is an open floor plan that can be grouped into three main areas: one for day, one for night, and one to be enjoyed in between. In the "in-between" spaces just inside the front door, a cozy living area leads to a large, central kitchen with a crisp white island and built-in shelving.

An en suite bedroom, a dressing room, and a small work area make up the "night" section of the house. Finally, what the studio calls the "great secret" awaits in the spacious internal courtyard, where a patinaed wall displays the building’s layered history.

"The owners wanted a casual and cheerful home, so the use of color became one of the starting points of the design," say the architects. Throughout the space, natural light shines on colorful furnishings and decorative, blue and yellow cement tile that echoes the flooring traditionally found in older houses in the center of Valencia.

Blending the new with the old and creating a joyful home for their young, happy clients was a test that the architects passed with flying colors. "The result of the intervention is a house where our clients see themselves perfectly reflected," they say.

Related Reading:

Original Tile Sets the Stage for a Family’s Apartment Revamp in Barcelona

Mosaic Tile Lays the Groundwork for an Spanish Apartment’s Revival

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: DG Estudio / @dg_arquitecto_estudio

Builder/General Contractor: Elo Construcciones / @elo.construcciones

Lighting Design: Arkoslight / @arkoslight

Interior Design: DG Estudio / @dg_arquitecto_estudio

Photography: Mariela Apollonio / @fotografadearquitectura