Ciutat Vella Apartment
CIUTAT VELLA APARTMENT
Balzar Arquitectos
ARCHITECTS
Balzar Arquitectos
LEAD ARCHITECTS
Balzar Architects
INTERIOR DESIGN
Nekonato Gallery
LEAD TEAM
Txema García Ballester, Laura Moreno Albuixech
DESIGN TEAM
Javier Fabado Saucedo
MANUFACTURERS
Ferm Living, Arketipo, CLC Arte, Cappelen Dimyr, Nekonato Gallery, New Works, Venicem
PHOTOGRAPHS
David Zarzoso
AREA
200 m²
YEAR
2025
LOCATION
València, Spain
CATEGORY
Interior Design, Apartment Interiors
English description provided by the architects.
Ciutat Vella Apartment is located in the historic heart of Valencia, a place that is not simply visited but discovered.
Within a compact urban fabric, more than two thousand years of history coexist, where Roman, medieval, and modernist heritage blends seamlessly with contemporary life.
Set within an 1890 building, the project embraces the challenge of preserving its historical identity while adapting it to modern living.
From the outset, the intervention was guided by a deep respect for the building's protected features.
Original Nolla mosaic floors, wrought ironwork, decorative moldings, century-old doors, and traces of polychrome wall paintings have been carefully restored and integrated into the new design.
Rather than treating these elements as relics, they become the foundation of the project, defining its rhythm and character.
The interiors are inspired by the principles of wabi-sabi, celebrating the beauty of imperfection, authenticity, and the passage of time.
A restrained palette of natural materials—including travertine, wood, lime plaster, linen, and wool—creates a calm, warm, and timeless atmosphere.
Here, texture and natural light take precedence over ornament, allowing the existing architecture to speak with honesty and quiet elegance.
The narrative extends through a carefully curated selection of furniture and art. In collaboration with the owners, passionate design collectors, vintage pieces from Nekonato Gallery are paired with artworks by CLC Arte and contemporary designs, including chairs by New Works and lighting by Venicem.
This thoughtful dialogue between historical and contemporary pieces enriches the spatial experience while reinforcing the continuity between past and present.
Custom-designed furniture further strengthens this relationship, acting as a natural extension of the architecture.
Each piece has been conceived with simplicity and precision, balancing materiality, form, and function while integrating seamlessly into the overall composition.
Ultimately, Ciutat Vella Apartment is an exercise in balance and respect.
Rather than erasing the traces of history, the project embraces them, creating a serene dialogue between heritage and contemporary design.
The result is a timeless home where architecture, craftsmanship, and design coexist harmoniously, paying tribute to Valencia's modernist legacy and to the imperfect beauty that only time can create.
