Photography by David Zarzoso, courtesy of Viruta Lab (@virutalab).
Currently surfacing all over, the checkerboard is the motif of the moment: see Trend Alert and Checks, Please.
Tasked with reviving the humble two-story house, architects María Daroz and David Puerta of Viruta Lab lovingly restored the soul of the place while lending it coherency and punch via a marine-blue-and-white tiled thruway from entryway to inner sanctum.
The 85-square-meter (approximately 914-square-foot) house is in Valencia’s seaside neighborhood El Cabanyal and is a traditional fisherman’s abode (the owner’s grandfather drapes hid nets on the façade every day to dry them).
“The house is a family legacy and the image the owners have of it is very deep,” they continue, “so it was necessary for any intervention to be as respectful as possible and in a language they understood and took as their own.”
In every room, newly exposed original brick and restored moldings meet contemporary millwork and blue-and-white porcelain tiles.
Of the repeating checkerboards, the architects explain: “This design provides a hypnotic optical effect that maximizes the spaces and is presented as a differentiating, traditional element with its own atmosphere.”
The tiles—supplied by Hisbalit of Spain—carpet the floors and rise to form a wainscot that extends into the powder room (the architects describe it as “a large wooden box that structures the space and works as a container forthe toilet, which is hidden inside”).
Above:The small living area off the entry is adjacent to the kitchen; the glass back doors lead to a small courtyard and provide cross ventilation.
Continuing the subtle seaside theme, all of the upholstery is in green with blue accents. The sofa bed is the Due from Belta & Frajumar.
The materials palette continues upstairs where the two bedrooms share a bathroom in the middle.
The house was initially stripped down to its skeleton; the brick was uncovered under peeling paint.
Woven esparto grass resurfaces here as a headboard set in the checkboard.
Ab0ve: The bathroom’s stained oak millwork evokes an old apothecary—with a checked twist.
The sink is the Space basin from Nuovvo.
The roof has a dining gazebo, newly paved with traditional terracotta tile.
María Daroz and David Puerta of Viruta Lab are based in Valencia and specialize in architectural heritage conservation.