00:03Pablo wants to create his own home studio, a place to live and work, a versatile and
00:14flexible space where he could balance his profession and hobbies with his need for
00:19privacy. Pablo is an illustrator who specializes in animation films and concept
00:28art for video games, as well as drawing comics for side projects. He has quite an
00:36eclectic taste, so mixing styles is part of his identity and we try to reflect that
00:42in the home. My name is Guillermo, I'm an architect and interior designer. My name
00:48is Pablo, I live here with my cat Lomo. I've been living here for a year and a
00:54half. We're actually brothers and work together to renovate this flat.
01:07This flat is located in the center of Valencia, specifically in the Botanic
01:12District, named after the Botanic Gardens nearby. It's a district developed during
01:20the city's expansion, featuring buildings dating from the 1900s situated next to
01:27the iconic towers of the Cobra.
01:32The building dates from the 1900s and has always been residential.
01:39It has four stories and no lift. It's a typical local building with two flats per floor,
01:45occupied by long-standing residents. When we first viewed the flats, the ceilings were much lower,
01:55at just 2.5 meters. The floors were covered in ceramic tiles, with a different design in every room.
02:03Everything seemed haphazard and poorly organized.
02:09The design of my home was an ongoing dialogue with the architects, Adrián and my brother Guillermo.
02:19I asked for a lively, eclectic home, far removed from strict minimalism, where the library would take
02:26center states and warm colors would complement the plants.
02:33The hallway ran the length of the flat, with the three bedrooms of one side.
02:38Kitchen and bathroom were squeezed into the corner of the inner wall, leaving very little
02:43space for the living area. We decided to start from scratch. All the partition walls were knocked down,
02:50taking into account only technical limitations. The main addition was the open top bookcase unit,
02:55that acts as a link between the entrance and the different areas of the house.
02:59Housing the concealed bathroom within it. The new kitchen and living room is in the bright open
03:05plan part of the apartment. And finally, there is a studio and a bedroom. The constraints of the
03:12small space meant he had to work with movable elements that would allow him to vary the layout
03:17of the rooms, as well as the levels of privacy they offered.
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04:29As soon as you walk in, you are greeted by the bespoke shelving unit.
04:34There is a bench where you can sit down and take off your shoes and stow them under the sheet.
04:41Above the bench are club hooks and behind the paneling is the electric box and router.
04:50You can see it.
04:50Popular playwood was chosen for the bookcase. A relatively inexpensive wood that made it
04:55possible to design a large-scale structure with a complex geometry without breaking the budget.
05:04This same material was used consistently in other parts of the house,
05:08such as the frames of the sliding drawers and all the tabletops.
05:17The bookshelf runs the lens of the house. It adapts in shape and depth along its lens to conceal the
05:24bathroom.
05:30The living dining room is in the brightest area of the apartment, thanks to the large window looking
05:35over the inner courtyard. This space also houses Pablo's personal gallery of paintings,
05:42paintings, most of which are trade with other artists.
05:49We had special light fixtures designed to highlight them.
05:54On the ceiling, there is a painting by our mother, Elena.
05:58It is painting on both sides, designed to be flipped with the changing of decisions.
06:03To illuminate the painting, a bespoke light fixture was commissioned from the Design Studio Deluxe.
06:10The television is partially concealed next to the pillar and can be moved so it can be viewed from the
06:17sofa,
06:18the table or the kitchen. When Pablo wants to watch a movie or when he has friends over,
06:24he uses a projector which he projects onto a large screen, hidden behind the red ceiling beam.
06:35We designed a versatile extendable plywood table made from the left top of the bookcase,
06:41functioning at both desk and dining table, that sits up to eight.
06:48The mornings and lights make it Pablo's favorite spot to have breakfast, drink coffee and practice drawing.
06:58In the kitchen, we drop the ceiling to 2.6 meters to conceal utilities like the extractor fan,
07:05the air-conditioned unit and the ductwork. It's also where the boiler is located.
07:12The drop ceiling also helps to zone the kitchen and the studio area.
07:19We add a curb to the corner to create more fluid transition between the spaces.
07:29The kitchen is equipped with built-in fridge, dishwasher and washing machine,
07:36as well as an oven and microwave.
07:40We chose red tone for the kitchen and the original beams.
07:44It creates a nice contrast with the white walls in the apartment and the white of the kitchen island.
07:53We integrate a three burner induction hub by cooking surface directly into the worktop.
08:01Without a traditional hub taking up most of the counter space,
08:05the countertop can be used to do other tasks, like play table games.
08:15The studio is an important part of the home, as it is where Pablo spends a lot of his time,
08:20so it requires a great deal of flexibility.
08:24Three glass doors allows the studio to be separated from the courier or the entrance.
08:30This design lets Pablo adjust his level of privacy while maintaining visual connection with the rest of the house.
08:39We designed the sink area also to connect to the studio,
08:43so Pablo can use it for cleaning paint brushes and other art supplies.
08:51The studio contains two tables.
08:55One is dedicated to traditional hand drawing,
09:00while the other is for digital work.
09:06The studio has a single fold-out sofa from Cape Home,
09:09which serves as both an armchair and a guest bed.
09:18The studio features a ceramic floor,
09:21which we discovered as the original flooring during the renovation.
09:24We restored it to respect the building history.
09:31The bathroom is a space hidden from view behind the shelving unit.
09:37The bathroom is a space hidden from the ceiling.
09:37At the top, we use an acrylic panel to allow light from the living room to filter through.
09:43At night, from both sides, this creates the sensation of a beautiful lightbox.
09:52Inside, Pablo wants a more brutalized style,
09:54so we finish the floor, walls, bespoke washbasin and shower in grey maker cement.
10:03I like the idea of contrasting the brutalized aesthetic by letting plants hang down from the ceiling.
10:10The plants make the most of the natural light,
10:14and draw the nourishment directly from the moisture and steam generated by the shower.
10:19It feels quite magical.
10:28The bedroom is designed to emphasize the overall continuity of this small apartment.
10:34This is why a large floor-to-ceiling pivot door was required,
10:38to allow the space to flow and feel open.
10:44The wardrobe is an extension of the box that contains the studio.
10:50The rest of the storage is under the bed, which is the more modern from IKEA.
10:55It allows quick access to the rest of Pablo's belongings.
11:02The bedroom features original geometric ceramic floors,
11:05that were discovered during the demolition,
11:08and have been preserved to respect the building's 1900s history.
11:16The bedroom, with its high ceiling, the rest of the floor,
11:20and large window opening onto the balcony, creates a peaceful space overlooking the street,
11:25where Pablo occasionally sits to eat or have coffee with his cat.
11:33In Valencia, there are so many old homes with a lot of potential to be improved,
11:38and it's a fun challenge to work with the heritage details of other buildings.
11:47When I'm designing a small home, my approach is to get to know my client's habits as much as I
11:52can.
11:55In this case, Pablo is my brother, so it is easier to create this space that is tailored to him.
12:01In this case, Pablo is my brother, so it is easier to get to know my client's habits as I
12:01can.
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