Viruta Lab designs Casa Gesso, an architectural homage to the work of Ángela García Codoñer

The architecture and interior design studio Viruta Lab, led by David Puerta and María Daroz, has designed Casa Gesso, a new home that establishes a dialogue between contemporary architecture and the artistic legacy of Ángela García Codoñer, an emblematic figure of Valencian feminist art in the 1970s.

Casa Gesso is conceived as a habitable blank canvas, a platform for reflection on the work of García Codoñer, which highlights her artistic and feminist legacy in the current context. This residence transcends the conventional by paying homage to the artist’s works, particularly her iconic Morphologies, Misses and Labours series, which transform contemporary architectural language. Each space in the home has been designed as a spatial reinterpretation of these works, preserving the critical and social discourse that characterises the artist’s work.

Architecture that goes beyond the conventional

The façade of Casa Gesso, clad in off-white porcelain tiles, evokes the old laundry rooms that housed artists’ studios, creating a visual continuity between the exterior and the interior. This design invites reflection on the themes addressed in García Codoñer’s work, turning the home into a platform for the contemplation of art and social criticism.

The house is organised in two volumes that resolve the transition between buildings of different scales. The first volume, one-and-a-half storeys high, houses the day area, while the second, two storeys high, contains the night area and toilets. A staircase integrated into a linear package of stained oak cabinetry articulates the two spaces. An interior courtyard acts as the heart of the house, providing light and ventilation, as well as serving as a transition between the living room and the dining-kitchen area. This space is completed with porcelain tile cladding on plots, pre-cut to emulate the vertical cladding.

The recessed volumes create a play of space, light and shadow on both facades, while the vertically slit windows in the night zone emphasise height and provide privacy. The artificial lighting combines decorative lamps with hidden diffused LED light, creating warm and functional atmospheres. The interior flooring, unified with large-format porcelain tiles, gives visual cohesion to the project.

Spaces that tell stories about feminism

The central space of the house reinterprets the series Morphologies ( 1973), in which García Codoñer questions the representations of the female body in art. This area challenges the male imaginary of female corporeality with sinuous forms that allude to the deconstruction of visual stereotypes in the artist’s work, inviting us to reflect on the evolution of gender perceptions in Spanish society. Interior and exterior merge in a constant dialogue between the warmth and sobriety of the infinite corridor and the luminosity, opulence and geometry of the central courtyard, which stands as the axis of the house.

The master bedroom is inspired by the Misses series (1974-1975), which denounced the objectification of women in beauty pageants. The headboard, designed by Viruta Lab with a Chanel-style tweed pattern, alludes to the high society aesthetic associated with these pageants, evoking the superficial sophistication that characterised the contestants’ public image. This pattern also refers to the artist’s collage techniques, challenging the media’s construction of femininity. The tweed becomes visually reminiscent of old patterns and cross-stitch, symbolising the meticulous construction of the female image, both in the domestic and public sphere. Next to it, a spotlight, instead of the traditional night lamp, evokes the stages of pageants, accentuating the artificiality of this representation. In addition, the porcelain tiles in the home extend into the bathroom, acting as a visual thread and creating a deliberate break with the natural wood of the furniture.

In the living room, García Codoñer’s Labores (1975-1977) series becomes the central axis. In her work, the artist explored the manual labour traditionally assigned to women, and Viruta Lab translates these patterns into a contemporary architectural language. In this way, the studio transforms the living room into a visual critique that highlights the weight of these activities in the formation of female discourse, both in the home and in art. The space redefines women’s work, integrating it into a contemporary aesthetic that questions the barriers between art and crafts and the social norms that sustain them.

The natural wood used in the woodwork and furniture lends sobriety and nostalgia to the interior design. Upholstery and textures in neutral and terracotta tones reinforce the warmth and neutrality that envelopes this space of reflection, while softening the lines, generating an intimate atmosphere that invites contemplation. This ambience is balanced by central pieces, such as the sculptural travertine marble coffee tables or the imposing micro-cement dining table. Details such as the rocking chairs and the rug, designed by Viruta Lab, speak of craftsmanship to reinforce the closeness to the natural and the manual, characteristics present in García Codoñer’s work.

Art, architecture and social criticism

Thus, Casa Gesso not only pays homage to a crucial artist on the Valencian scene, but also talks about how residential architecture can transcend its basic function, becoming a space for dialogue with art and social criticism.

Viruta Lab has drawn a space that is a faithful reflection on gender equality and feminism, where to break and re-examine the social and artistic narratives that have shaped Valencian and Spanish culture over the last five decades. In short, a home that allows Ángela García Codoñer’s ideas to be inhabited and demonstrates that residential spaces can also be conceived for reflection and questioning of established norms.

Materials, furniture and decoration

Outer plate. Evoque Clear of Natucer.
Porcelain tiles (façade, benches, floor, walls up to 150 cm and shower cladding) Bera&Bere Light Grey of Living Ceramics.
Wooden carpentry. Nomi.
Living room. Banqueta Rem 160×50 of Blasco & Vila. Carpet Viruta Lab. Modular sofa Kilhe pf The Masie. Central tables Blooms of NV Gallery. Cushions Way Cushion of Ferm Living. Decorative cushions Mandarina de Sancal. Pedestal Pillar Pedestal de Ferm Living. Rocking chairs Viruta Lab. Artwork Serie Labores (1979) of Ángela García Codoñer.
Dining room. Table Mesa Lucía in microcement of Decowood. Chairs Vili de The Masie. Vases Alvar Aalto de Iittala. Stools. Fosca of Blasco & Vila. Artwork Naranjas, series Morfologías (1973) of Ángela García Codoñer.
Bedroom. Bed headboard Viruta Lab. Quadrant cushions Kreta Colours of The Masie. Decorative cushions Ágatha of Westwing Collection. Bedside table Max-Beam from Kartell. Bedroom picture Collage serie Misses (1974) de Ángela García Codoñer.
Study. Study table Viruta Lab. Studio chair Garold of The Masie. Busto Le Buste de Discphore of Atelier C&S Davoy.

Project: Casa Gesso. New construction, housing between party walls.
Architecture and Interior Design: Viruta Lab.
Architects: David Puerta and María Daroz.
Surface: 145 m².
Location: Picanya, València.
Finished: 2024.
Photography: David Zarzoso.
Text: Viruta Lab.

Viruta Lab

Viruta Lab nace en 2020 como reflejo de las inquietudes artísticas y arquitectónicas de los diseñadores David Puerta y María Daroz. Mientras él plasmaba su pasión por el dibujo pintando en las paredes, ella se formaba en la exigente y delicada disciplina del ballet clásico. Dos vidas ensambladas a la perfección, que funcionan al unísono. Puro efecto diapasón. Así es su arquitectura: funcional, equilibrada, sensible y sonora. Proyectos orgánicos, cálidos y atemporales que nacen de la escucha activa, de la empatía y del trabajo en equipo con el cliente. Espacios residenciales, efímeros, de retail y de contract con un propósito: la emoción. 

Project by Viruta Lab