Philippe Apartment

The transformation of this dwelling, located in the emblematic building of Finca Roja in Valencia, Spain, has a lot to do with the new ways of living in today's cities. Designed for a family with three children, the scheme makes the most of the space to create a very flexible interior with textile enclosures.

Although the choice of textile has more to do with the process of simplifying and reducing construction costs, the truth is that it is also a practical and comfortable resource that allows you to easily transform the space. The curtains in a natural color dress the length and width of the house while its few openings reveal (or hide) unexpected rooms: from a small outdoor patio, wrapped in a waterproof fabric and covered in anthracite gray gravel, up to two tatami areas as a direct reference to Japanese residential architecture.

Precisely because of its versatility, the idea of using tatami mats allows both traditional futons (cotton mats that serve as seats or beds typical of Japan) to be placed on top and thus function as restrooms for children and guests, as well as folding and storing them for converting these two "rooms" into multipurpose or games spaces.

The historical charge of the building* is revealed in the open plan of the dining room, kitchen, and living room with a composition of Valencian hydraulic tiles, recovered from different areas of the house, which cover part of the floor. For the rest of the pavement, concrete has been used in order to neutralize the environment and make the creation stand out more. In the same way, a part of the original fireplace has been restored and the rest painted in the same neutral gray color as the walls.

The integrated and custom-made furniture is another of the traces that the studio seeks to leave in the project. A table made of black-stained poplar wood faces a second that unfolds and folds according to the needs of the space. Both can well function as work or dining tables. The same wood defines a part of the kitchen, storage areas, bathrooms, and the main room. For the latter, an original cardboard bed design has been chosen (Bed 2.0 from Room in a Box), easy to fold in the event that you want to use the space in another way. One more gesture for a project in constant transformation.

*La Finca Roja: Built by the architect Enrique Viedma in 1929, this emblematic residential building takes the identity of Dutch expressionism. The outstanding use of green ceramics and the unique circular towers, as well as the polygonal bay window, make up the unique facade of a building that tried to achieve a new housing model for the middle class timidly leading the transition to rationalism.