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    Masquespacio founders create home and office where “everything revolves around play”

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    The founders of Spanish studio Masquespacio have transformed a traditional Valencian farmhouse into their self-designed home and studio, with maximalist interiors that nod to the Memphis movement.

    Creative and life partners Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse renovated the 1920s villa, which was once a farmhouse on the outskirts of Valencia, to create a hybrid home and studio that reflects their maximalist approach to interiors.
    Masquespacio has designed a live-work space in Valencia”Everything revolves around the concept of play,” explained Hernández Palacios, who co-founded Masquespacio with Penasse in 2010.
    “We’ve been influenced by many styles over the last decade, from New Memphis to art deco and futurism,” Penasse added. “We can say that our private home is a mix of it all.”
    The ground floor holds the studio’s workspacesThe duo maintained the building’s original timber front door and white facade decorated with light-blue window frames and ornate grilles.

    Inside, the ground floor was reserved for their studio, spread across several interconnected meeting rooms in the former farmstead, known locally as an alquería.
    Masquespacio restored the building’s original hydraulic floor tilesHere, Masquespacio restored the building’s decoratively patterned hydraulic floor tiles alongside its traditional doors and windows.
    Painted in bright hues, they help to colour-code the different office spaces, filled with the studio’s characteristic chunky, lumpy and latticed furniture.
    There is a double-height interior courtyard at the centre of the home”As always, the project includes a mix of colours, textures and forms – one of the main aspects of all our designs, no matter what aesthetic we’re working with,” Penasse told Dezeen.
    At the centre of the home is a double-height interior courtyard illuminated by skylights, with exposed-brick walls painted in lilac surrounded by wiggly flowerbeds with lush statement cheese plants.
    From the courtyard, visitors can see up to an interior balcony on the first floor, which is accessed via a purple concrete staircase and contains the living spaces.
    The couple’s bed is encased in a green dome next to a hot-pink seating booth.The balcony reveals two sculptural objects – a giant green dome that conceals the couple’s bed and a curved hot-pink screen that hides a seating booth.
    This immersive furniture – Penasse’s favourite part of the project – creates a focal point that connects both levels of the house but also provides more private quarters for the couple despite the open nature of the overall plan.
    A mosaic of yellow tiles defines the bathroom”There are no wall partitions to hide our home [from downstairs] but it’s kept private by the bed’s form and a semi-transparent green curtain that allows us to take advantage of the natural light almost everywhere on the upper floor,” explained Penasse.
    The sleeping area is connected to the main living space via a tunnel-like corridor, which includes an all-yellow bathroom with triangular cabinets and walls clad with a mosaic of handmade ceramic tiles.

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    Opposite the bathroom is a colourful open-air terrace featuring circular windows and similar built-in seating to Bun Turin – an Italian burger joint designed by Masquespacio with boxy blue-tiled tables created to look like swimming pools.
    “Geometry can be found all over our house,” explained Hernández Palacios. “Everything is a game of circles and triangles.”
    The terrace follows a similar geometry to the interiorsThe light blue kitchen includes large, triangular alcoves and cupboards finished in natural stone and aluminium, designed to conceal utilities.
    There is also an island made from veiny marble and petite glazed tiles. Bespoke Masquespacio bar stools were wrapped in matching pale blue fabric.
    Triangular cupboards feature in the kitchenNext to the open-plan kitchen, the living and dining spaces include more brightly coloured furniture from the studio’s Mas Creations collection, which features the same twisted and angular shapes and soft upholstery as the pieces downstairs.
    Floor-to-ceiling curtains form a backdrop for a snaking lime green sofa, while dark green dining chairs with pyramidal backrests were positioned around a jewel-like glass table.
    Striking pyramid-shaped dining chairs continue the maximalist theme”Ninety-five per cent of the furniture and objects in our house are part of our Mas Creations collection, locally designed and produced by our studio,” said Penasse.
    Similarly bold projects from Masquespacio include a restaurant in Milan, Italy, with interiors that take cues from futuristic spaceships and the first Mango Teen store in Barcelona featuring vivid graphic shapes.
    The photography is courtesy of Masquespacio. 

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      Destudio inverts day and night zones at redesigned Casa Inversa apartment

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      Architecture office Destudio has remodelled an apartment in Valencia for a couple of empty nesters, swapping the positions of the living and sleeping areas so they perform better for the owners’ lifestyles.

      The clients, who recently worked with Destudio to design their pharmacy in the Spanish city, invited the studio to oversee the renovation of the 150-square-metre apartment that had been their home for two decades.
      The couple’s grown-up children no longer live with them and Destudio saw this change in circumstances as an opportunity to create an entirely new and more appropriate layout.
      Destudio swapped the positions of living and sleeping areas in Casa Inversa”We worked with the owners to convince them to make a ‘tabula rasa’ of how they lived in this house for the last 20 years and find a better distribution for their actual needs,” Destudio creative director Gabi Ladaria told Dezeen.
      “It was tough for the family to recognise that every wall had to be demolished,” he added, “but when they saw the first plans and 3Ds they realised there were better ways to live in their house, being more honest with their needs in the coming years.”

      An initial survey of how the existing spaces were used informed the decision to switch the position of the private and communal areas so the main living space receives the best of the available sunlight. This act gave the project its name, Casa Inversa.
      The dining area was positioned in the corner of the living roomConversations with the clients revealed that they wanted the kitchen to be the heart of the house as this is where they spend a lot of time preparing and eating meals throughout the day.
      This informed the decision to reduce the size of the dedicated dining area by incorporating it into a corner of the living room.
      The kitchen was designed as the heart of the homeA cantilevered bench minimises the floor area used so the adjacent lounge feels more generous.
      “We use this strategy in our restaurant projects to maximise the number of diners,” Ladaria pointed out, “but here it is used to maximise the space in the other part of the corner bench where the living room is located.”

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      The studio added that the table is likely to be used infrequently, mostly when friends or family come to visit, so it was designed like a restaurant booth to make the dining experience feel like eating out.
      The kitchen opens onto a terrace with outdoor seating, while on the opposite wall a wine display backed with semi-opaque glass provides a visual connection with the adjoining utility space. Sliding glass doors can be closed to separate the kitchen and the adjacent sitting room if required.
      Sliding glass doors separate the living area and kitchenThe apartment’s three bedrooms were relocated to the opposite end of the floor plan, where they overlook the building’s internal courtyards.
      The principal bedroom and one of the guest rooms are accommodated in an angular corner that previously housed the living room. The main bedroom’s dressing area features cupboards that extend along one wall, making the most of the space.
      A material palette consisting of clay-rendered walls, oak joinery and porcelain tiles acts as a warm backdrop for the clients’ art collection.
      Clay render covers the wallsWhere possible, Destudio specified furniture from local brands, including the sofa, armchairs and the living room’s library shelving.
      Destudio was founded in 2014 by architects Gabi Ladaria and Nacho Díaz, who studied together at Valencia’s Polytechnic University.
      Other recent residential projects in Valencia include the renovation of a former fisherman’s house using geometric blue-and-white tiling and a copper-toned home in an olive grove.
      The photography is courtesy of Destudio.

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      Viruta Lab blankets former fisherman’s house in Valencia with chequerboard tiles

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      Spanish interiors studio Viruta Lab has renovated a compact house in El Cabanyal, Valencia’s traditional fishing neighbourhood, using geometric blue-and-white tiling for an understated nautical aesthetic.

      Built in 1946, the humble two-storey building once belonged to the grandparents of the current owner but had been boarded up for many years.
      Viruta Lab has renovated a former fisherman’s house in ValenciaViruta Lab was brought on board to transform the small 85-square-metre home into a modern holiday residence while respecting its great sentimental value to the family.
      “Emotion was a very important starting point,” the studio told Dezeen.
      The interior is dominated by chequerboard tiles”The house is a family legacy and the image they have of it is very deep, so it was necessary for any intervention to be as respectful as possible and with a language that they understood and took as their own,” Viruta Lab continued.

      “We understood that the architecture already had a value, that we only had to beautify it, preserve it.”
      Green upholstery provides a contrast with the blue-and-white colour schemeViruta Lab uncovered the building’s original brick walls from under layers of peeling paint and carefully repaired the pre-existing mouldings “to give height and nostalgic value to the interior design”.
      Liberal chequerboard tiling provides a contrast to these traditional design details, featured throughout all the rooms from the kitchen to the sleeping quarters.
      Viruta Lab restored the home’s original mouldingsIn a suitably nautical palette of navy and off-white, the tiles reference the great variety of tiled facades found in the El Cabanyal neighbourhood.
      “The dominant colours on the facades of the Cabanyal are white, blue and green, which are associated with a lifestyle linked to the resources offered by the sea,” the studio said.

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      “It was clear that we had to respect the local traditions, the architecture and the essence of the house and give it a maritime aesthetic, reinterpreting the Mediterranean style to adapt it to the tradition of the neighbourhood using its own materials.”
      Green shows up throughout the interior in the form of simple upholstered furniture – including a sofa, pouffe, benches and stools – all custom-designed by Viruta Lab for this compact space.
      European oak was used to form joinery detailsThe interior woodwork in European oak was stained to resemble Canaletto walnut, matching the tones of the two remaining original interior doors that were painstakingly restored and repurposed as sliding doors.
      “We wanted the woodwork to provide a quality counterpoint to the cold tones of the blues and greens, with an imprint and weight,” the studio said.
      The remaining interior doors were restored and repurposed as sliding doorsAnother key local material – esparto grass fibre – is less noticeable than the tiles but pops up throughout the house to add textural interest.
      Traditionally used to make ropes, baskets, mats and espadrille sandals, the flexible natural material was repurposed to form headboards and backrests, and even clad the suspended ceilings in the bathrooms.
      Esparto grass was used to from headboards and backrests”This material has been used because of its roots in the traditions and life in the Mediterranean area, especially in the Valencian community,” the studio said.
      “For Viruta Lab, the legacy comes from its use by men of the countryside and the sea, by the original residents of the Cabanyal, those men who used to wear espadrilles.”
      The house has a shaded outdoor dining area on the roofAs well as a clay-tiled roof terrace with a shaded outdoor dining area, the house also features a sensitively restored inner courtyard, complete with a stone water trough where the owner’s grandfather once dried his fishing nets at the end of a day’s work.
      Other projects that celebrate Valencia’s historic architecture include a 1920s penthouse that was renovated to celebrate its original mosaic floors and an octogenarian home in El Cabanyal that was updated using traditional construction techniques and local materials.
      The photography is by David Zarzoso.

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      Design + Health exhibition in Valencia highlights importance of design in the health sector

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      Promotion: exhibited as part of World Design Capital Valencia 2022, the Design + Health exhibition showcases the influence of design on advancements in science and medicine.

      Presented at the Valencian Museum of Enlightenment and Modernity (MuVIM) in Spain, the exhibition aims to illustrate how design has been used in the health sector to improve people’s wellbeing.
      The exhibition takes place from 11 November 2022 to 16 April 2023, during Valencia’s tenure as the World Design Capital 2022.
      The exhibition is part of World Design Capital Valencia 2022The Design + Health exhibition combines research from various design industries, including architecture, interiors, industrial design, graphic communication and fashion.
      Organised into 25 themes, the display outlines the progression of science and medicine by reviewing past disciplines, analysing current practices and illustrating future possibilities.

      The exhibition examines the impact of design within the health sector”Design in itself cannot cure anything, but neither could a vaccine if we did not have a syringe to inject it with,” said exhibition curator Ramón Úbeda.
      “Designing is part of the solution, it is not an added value but rather intrinsic to the development of any innovation for the social good.”
      It covers designs from a range of industries, including architecture, interiors and fashionThe exhibition contains over 500 examples of design for health, including creations from renowned designers and architects such as Charles and Ray Eames, Barber Osgerby, Philippe Starck, Yves Béhar, Nendo, Piero Lissoni, Matali Crasset, Benjamin Hubert, Raw Color and Tokujin Yoshioka.
      On display for the first time in Spain is the Emergency Bike, an electric bicycle design currently being tested in Paris.
      The bike was created by creative agency Wunderman Thompson to allow doctors to cut through road traffic and reach medical emergencies faster.
      The exhibition contains over 500 examples of health product designsOne of the aims of the display was to promote design for the health sector, which is often overlooked compared to designs that are more prominently featured in magazines, such as furniture and lighting.
      “This is probably one of the most ambitious exhibitions in the entire programme of Valencia World Design Capital 2022,” said Xavi Calvo, general director of the year-long programme.
      On display is a medical electric bike”The open, witty and didactic nature of this exhibition will bring society as a whole closer to such familiar and vital issues as health and the search for wellbeing,” Calvo continued.
      The exhibition concludes with the screening of the documentary The Hospital of the Future, which was created by Dutch architecture studio OMA.
      Design + Health exhibition takes place at the Valencian Museum of Enlightenment and Modernity, Valencia, Spain from 11 November 2022 to 16 April 2023 as part of World Design Capital Valencia 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
      Partnership content
      This article was written by Dezeen for World Design Capital Valencia 2022 as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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      Clap Studio creates sunset experience inside Valencia's Baovan restaurant

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      A half-moon-shaped screen is programmed to mimic the changing colours of a sunset in this bao restaurant in Valencia, Spain, designed by local interiors firm Clap Studio.

      The eatery is set in a modernist building in Valencia’s Ruzafa neighbourhood and marks the first permanent outpost of Baovan – a local food truck delivering steamed Chinese bao buns, which started up during the coronavirus pandemic.
      Green ropes hang from the ceiling of Baovan’s porchBaovan asked Clap Studio to create an interior for the restaurant that channels the company’s motto of beers, beach and baos.
      “Our goal was to transport the user to a beach, from where to watch the sunset and enjoy some handmade baos,” Clap Studio director Angela Montagud told Dezeen. “So we created a whole experience around it.”
      “The shape of the space was a challenge, as we were faced with a narrow, elongated floor plan with no natural light,” she added.

      Curved fabric panels on the restaurant’s ceiling resemble cloudsIn a bid to turn the restaurant’s lack of daylight into a positive feature, Clap Studio designed an immersive interior that makes visitors feel as if they have stumbled across a secret beach.
      “In this way, it would invite the user to enter and discover the interior,” Montagud said.
      A half-moon-shaped lighting panel mimics the colours of the sunsetDiners enter the restaurant through a porch, where deep green ropes hang from the ceiling like vines in a forest.
      Inside, the interior was designed to evoke a beach with one side finished in a sandy peach colour and the other in deep ocean blue. Wavy textile panels form rolling clouds overhead that filter the light.

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      The centrepiece of the room is a half-moon-shaped lighting panel that was programmed by local creative studio Vitamin to recreate the changing colours of a sunset over the time it takes for the restaurant to complete its dinner service.
      “The interior shows a constant duality of colours that takes us in and out of the water,” Montagud explained.
      “On the ceiling, we recreate a blanket of clouds that brings a magical atmosphere to the interior, reflecting the lights of the sunset that is in constant movement.”
      The private dining area can seat up to ten peopleA private dining area at the rear of the floor plan can seat up to ten people and was designed to create the impression of eating by moonlight.
      Circular and crescent motifs that reference the shape of bao buns are repeated throughout the space from the lighting installation to the chairs, which were designed exclusively for the restaurant by Clap Studio.
      Other projects by the Valencian practice include a playful children’s shoe shop and a fashion store-cum-cafe in Hong Kong with stacked terracotta display plinths and celestial aluminium partitions.
      The photography is by Daniel Rueda.

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      Greek restaurant interior by Masquespacio takes cues from ancient ruins

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      3D-printed “broken” columns join walls and floors created with an adobe effect at the Egeo restaurant in Valencia by interiors studio Masquespacio that aims to put a modern spin on traditional Greek architecture.

      Masquespacio created the interiors for the Egeo Greek restaurant, which is spread across one floor and characterised by a blue and off-white colour palette that is reminiscent of many Greek houses.
      A blue and white colour palette defines the spaceEgeo features a cavernous interior with microcement-coated seating areas and walls carved from curvy shapes punctuated by statement blue columns.
      The Mortex used for these walls and floors intends to give the space an adobe effect.
      It features 3D-printed columnsFractured into two pieces, the restaurant’s columns were created using 3D printing and are fitted with tubular lighting that connects each piece together.

      “We wanted to recreate the concept of a broken column from the past, but uplift it with a contemporary look,” Masquespacio co-founder Christophe Penasse told Dezeen.
      Wooden stools provide seating areasWooden stools resembling chunky chess pieces are scattered around built-in metal and wooden tables in the various seating areas arranged across the restaurant.
      Sconce lights were attached to decorative organic shapes that protrude from the walls while olive trees sit in large, neutrally-hued pots.

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      A central ordering bar was designed to recreate the atmosphere of a bustling market where you might order traditional souvlaki from a mobile vendor, according to Masquespacio.
      “The restaurant was inspired by Greece’s ancient architecture – from its typical white and blue houses to the ruins that are part of its important foundations in our world,” explained Penasse.
      A central bar intends to give the restaurant a lively feelThe eatery is the first Egeo branch in Valencia, although the chain already has two similar locations in Madrid.
      Based in Valencia, Masquespacio was founded in 2010 by Penasse and Ana Milena Hernández Palacio.
      Similar projects in Spain by the studio include another cavernous restaurant that nods to adobe architecture and an eatery with curved forms that take cues from the nearby Pyrenees mountains.
      The photography is by Sebastian Erras.

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