Spanish designer Jaime Hayon has always been a trailblazer. His creative endeavors, which have evolved from decorative pieces in porcelain to large-scale interiors for leading hotels and restaurants, exhibit a humorous, optimistic language that is still finding new territories and contexts.

On a more personal level, Jaime has also stoked the contemporary design culture of his adopted city, Valencia. He moved there in 2009 when the city was a mere blip on the international design map. Today, Valencia very much stands on its own, as demonstrated by its turn as World Design Capital in 2022. As part of the program, Jaime was given the opportunity to stage a major retrospective, where he talked about his love for the city and its role as a source of inspiration.

At the opening of the event, he highlighted his ventures around the city’s Mercat Central, a glorious art nouveau–style food market surrounded by tiny shops selling the hand-tooled ephemera of everyday Valencian life. To introduce others to Valencia’s warm charms and creative buzz, Jaime bought an apartment dating from 1925 opposite the marketplace and has converted it—with his colorful and exuberant signature—into an artist residency. Here, he walks us through the process.

Finding the Apartment

In a way, the apartment found me. I was viewing different houses while trying to buy my own. Someone was refurbishing apartments in the same building and showing me what he did—and what he was doing was horrible!

I was very sad to see that almost everything had been taken away. All the classic tiles, and many of the original features were gone. The conversation ended with him telling me that there was one apartment in the building that hadn’t been worked on. But he didn’t want to restore it, he wanted someone to buy it.

He said that maybe I wouldn’t like it because it was old and needed a lot of work. To his surprise, I said “I love it! I want it as is!” All the features were from the 1920s—the volumes, the ceilings, and the different room details were amazing.

Laying the Groundwork

The first thing I changed was the kitchen. I moved it from its original position off the hallway and placed it off the main living room. Then, I set about restoring all the original floor tiles that were covered in some type of linoleum from the 1960s. I found floral motifs and quite expressive triangular shapes. I cleaned them up and restored them one by one. Sometimes, I had to go and check out old houses that were being refurbished to find ones that were missing, and that took a long time.

Being careful to conserve pretty much all the original ceilings, and even the tiles on the walls, I opened up the dimensions of the bedrooms, creating a wider and more comfortable size and connecting them with new en suite bathrooms. I also opened up a rear window that was very narrow, so you can now look toward the mountains and the city’s cathedral.

Designing With Color

Devising the color scheme was an incredible exercise. Maybe because I’m a painter as well as a designer, I love to work with color—to see how much joy, contrast, and beauty it can give a space if done correctly. I was inspired by the buildings and colors that surround the apartment, and I tried to bring colors from the outside into the home. I also tried to create perspective from wherever you are, and to create larger volumes.

I played with green tones and pastel yellow toward the hallway and the main living room. I was determined to paint the walls white, to contrast with the design of the furniture, which would definitely not be patterned, but finished in block colors with very high-end textiles. Some of it is vintage—found in shops in Madrid, Barcelona, Antwerp, and Valencia—it was really hard to find the combination and balance I wanted. Others have been designed by me at some point for companies such as Fritz Hansen and Arflex.

Bespoke Furniture, Doors, and Details

I also did some experiments with furniture. I made a very funny cabinet with a lot of drawers (a masterpiece of cabinetmaking), mirrors and accessories, and shelves in beautiful blue tone. I got inspired by the tiled flooring, and I made stencil patterns for the windows in the kitchen and the bathrooms, and in some of the rooms I created special doors.

I have to say that when I do interior design, the doors are a bit like my signature. Every space I created in the last 25 years has unique doors. The doors leading to the living room and the bathrooms ended up being very Hayonesque, and give the home much more personality and uniqueness.

The bathrooms keep the classicism of the space, but also carry a modern look. They have beautiful design features and accessories such as vintage wall lamps, hooks, and window graphics.

Checks and Balances

For me, everything was about keeping the balance of the space. I tried to conserve almost everything I found there, which wasn’t always easy. I did maintain the ceiling adornments, and of course the floor tiles, which are amazing. Also some marble sinks that were originally in the kitchen. But I am not the only designer of the apartment. It will evolve by the people that come stay here: artists, musicians, writers, designers, and more! It will evolve constantly with the things they create when they are here, and the little things they bring with them.

A Personal Project

In general, the projects I do are pretty big and made for the public, such as hotels, large restaurants, and cafes. I would say this project is more personal, and focused more on detail. I will personally make sure that everything is in order for visitors—from coffee to wine and flowers! I have placed furniture and combinations that are special to me. So you could say that this project is more a mirror of what I love.

More Construction Diary stories:

A Ceramicist Gets Hands On While Renovating Her Midcentury Home

A Stylist and a Photographer Reenvision a 1950s Bungalow

A Young Couple DIY a Lofted Yurt in Portland

Project Credits:

Interior Design: Jaime Hayon / @jaimehayon

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Construction Diary: Jaime Hayon’s 1920s Valencia Apartment Is a Master Class in Color