- Interior
This small but refined and nice apartment, enveloped in a serene and soft palette of nude colours and warm and neutral materials, was designed for and by the founders of Xarquitectos. They managed to make the most of the limited space, creating an open, cosy and light home.
Xarquitectos is a Spanish architecture and interior design studio founded by architects Ernesto Correa Selva and Patricia Maldonado Lafita. The studio is based in Valencia and develops projects in architecture, interior design, product design and graphic design. A sense of precision, details and perseverance are always the basis of their realisations. Their working method and philosophy begins with understanding the needs and wishes of the client. This way, they want to offer the most suitable options and create a perfect harmony between function, quality and design. For the beautiful project we are showing you here, Selva and Lafita did not have to look too far as this flat in Valencia was designed by and for the designers themselves. 
"Key concepts here are recovering essence, maximising space, enhancing natural light and a perfect combination of colours and materials"
One of the challenges in this project was that it was a small flat with only one bedroom, one bathroom and a dining and living area. The flat is located in a classic building from before the 1950s. At that time, homes like this were for modest families and this is reflected in various aspects, including the small area with three bedrooms. It was therefore a very compartmentalised house with a practically non-existent living space. Xarquitectos carried out an extensive renovation in which they retained only one bedroom to make more room for a communal living space. 
The renovation revealed the building's characteristic structure, with its concrete ceiling, metal elements and rivets. ‘It was from that moment that the project found its way, aiming to recover the essence of the building in its most constructive and less ornamental part,’ we hear from the studio. One of the most important factors was to obtain more natural light, something that is essential in all their projects. ‘Light is life,’ according to the designers. They also wanted to create more space. These two requirements were achieved by opening up and merging spaces and by using a sober and neutral colour palette. In addition, the architects opted for neutral and warm materials, which also balance out the raw concrete and metal structures. ‘Key concepts here are regaining essence, maximising space, enhancing natural light and a perfect combination of colours and materials.’
Photography by David Zarsoso