casa cleopatra | osb arquitectos

This beautiful modernist house in the Cabanyal neighborhood was bought in its original condition, with its fine interior walls, its false reed ceiling and its hydraulic floor. Alessandro and Michela wanted a modern and cozy house while preserving its essence to enjoy the holidays in Valencia, and when they found this seaside house from 1923 they thought it would be perfect.

The house was in almost total ruin, there was no electricity, no water, no sanitation... We have started by freeing up space, the basic idea was to be able to have an open, bright and spacious apartment. Once everything was demolished, the space took shape and the possibilities offered by the almost 6 meters high wooden ceiling began to be seen.

We decided to create a wooden loft to increase the surface of the house, placing the bedroom upstairs along with the full bathroom. In the lower part, the space had to be open so that natural light could pass from side to side of the house and also to take advantage of the natural ventilation of the house.

We decided to place the living room near the balcony of the street, and to follow the kitchen aligned to the wall with the dining room. At the end of the whole, the ladder to go up to the attic and a guest toilet. The terrace, previously closed, has also been opened and more surface area has been gained in order to fully enjoy the surface.

The house has been insulated on all its walls with white plasterboard and rockwool insulation, to improve its efficiency and comfort and also to align the walls that had many different slopes.
At the same time, the brick wall of the façade has been exposed, as well as the ceiling with its beams and bricks to create a contrast with the attic, walls and white carpentry. The other fundamental element of the house is wood: an oak-colored laminate floor has been placed, a custom made staircase and a TV cabinet of the same tone have been made, and the element that stands out most is the anthracite kitchen with raised oak-finished modules .

For the bathrooms, an elegant but minimalist design has been chosen, so as not to exhaust the available space. The finishes are in lime spatolato combined with a beautiful tile designed by Patricia Urquiola that gives a touch of fun to the whole.

In the house we also managed to create a laundry room, which has its access from the terrace, and a storage room in the lower part of the roof in the attic so that it can be used to store any type of things.

The windows of the house and its doors have been replaced by new climalit windows but maintaining the same original conformation and the original hydraulic of the house has been recovered and reused to cover the surface of the TV cabinet.

The result is a perfect loft to spend a couple's vacations by the sea, where modern meets rustic in a perfect combination.