Patricia Bustos renovates a modernist jewel from 1955 in the city of Valencia

The renovation of this residence in Valencia begins from a privileged condition: its direct relationship with the former course of the Turia River and the preservation of architectural elements that safeguard the building’s memory intact. Built in 1955, the property offered high ceilings, generous proportions, and a Valencian mosaic floor that set the direction of the project from the outset..

The intervention by Patricia Bustos Studio is conceived as an exercise in continuity rather than transformation. The aim is not to reinterpret the past, but to listen to it — to discern what should remain and what could be updated without altering the home’s original character. The owner’s bond with nature — the Mediterranean landscape, outdoor living, the proximity of the mountains — becomes a guiding thread that runs through the entire project.

The restoration of existing elements is meticulous. The original mosaics are recovered and enhanced, while period moldings regain their presence as active components of the space. From there, new layers are introduced with a clear intention: honest materials, restrained gestures, and a chromatic palette connected to the immediate surroundings of the Turia Gardens.

Ceramic assumes a structural role. The new handcrafted mosaics, created by Maora Ceramic, extend beyond the horizontal plane, climbing walls, arches, and skirting boards to establish a visual continuity that links the different areas of the home. This strategy reinforces the project’s Mediterranean identity without resorting to literal references.

The dialogue between existing and new elements becomes especially visible in those features with greater spatial weight. The fireplace and the root-wood cabinet integrating television and library are conceived as contemporary volumes — resolute yet serene — coexisting with the original architecture without competing with it. The intervention does not seek to mimic, but to complement.

A subtle reference to Valencian modernism runs throughout the project, inspired by the work of José María Manuel Cortina Pérez and his ability to combine diverse languages. Nolla mosaics, with their geometric stoneware tesserae, strengthen this historical connection and introduce a rich, durable texture capable of rivaling noble materials such as marble.

The kitchen is conceived as a transitional piece. It acts as a bridge between the most transformed areas and those that retain their original structure intact. Marble countertops and earth tones reinforce material continuity, while its layout encourages everyday use and conviviality. It is not a space of representation, but of relationship.

In the living room, arches and rounded columns organize the space and define a fluid sequence. The custom-designed furniture provides comfort, reinforcing the idea of an interior conceived to be lived in and enjoyed.

This renovation does not pursue contrast or spectacle. Its value resides in the precision of each decision, in the way restoration and contemporary design are interwoven to shape a space that feels coherent, serene, and profoundly tied to the building’s history. A project that demonstrates that intervening in architecture with a past requires, above all, knowing when to act — and when to allow space to speak for itself.

Project: Reforma de vivienda en Valencia.
Location: Valencia.
Completed: 2024.
Interior design: Patricia Bustos Studio.
Photography: Pablo Zamora.
Handcrafted mosaics: Maora Ceramic.
Source: Patricia Bustos Studio.

Patricia Bustos

The work of Patricia Bustos occupies a territory of its own, where beauty does not operate as ornament but as the project’s underlying structure. Her approach understands interior design as a discipline capable of constructing meaning, organising everyday experience and accompanying those who inhabit a space through sensory and emotional perception.

Trained in Business Administration and with a trajectory that spans fashion, design and visual culture, Patricia Bustos founded her studio in 2015. Since then, she has developed residential, commercial and product design projects at both national and international levels, always from a clear and recognisable authorial position. Her approach combines intuition and method: each project is conceived as an autonomous universe, governed by its own rules, where light, colour and matter are understood as constructive tools rather than layers applied at the end of the process.

In her work, natural materials function as an anchor. The tactile, the imperfect and the handmade introduce a sense of calm and authenticity that balances the experimental character of her proposals. Light sets the rhythm of the space; colour defines paths, pauses and states of mind. Nothing is accessory: every decision responds to an internal logic that attends both to use and to the experience that remains when the space falls silent.

Patricia Bustos designs interiors as well as objects and pieces of furniture, understanding design as a natural extension of architectural space. In both cases, function is the point of departure, but never the limit. Her aim is to expand the scope of design, endowing it with a narrative dimension capable of activating the senses and fostering a more conscious relationship between people and their surroundings.

Her approach is grounded in what she defines as an architecture of resonance: a way of designing that attends to the invisible, listens to context —physical, cultural and emotional— and understands beauty as a tool for subtle transformation. This attitude runs through both her built projects and her ongoing research into colour, craftsmanship and new spatial languages.

Repeatedly selected for the AD100 list as one of the most influential interior designers, Patricia Bustos has received numerous recognitions and her work has been published in leading international specialist media.

Project by Patricia Bustos Studio