Casa Ona | Paloma Bau Studio

Located in the popular fishing district of Cabanyal in Valencia, Casa Ona is an ode to the Mediterranean in its textures and finishes. A project that highlights the origin and nature of this unique historic home through a renovation that respects its architectural heritage.

A renovation and restoration project approached with respect, creating a new space that is a true ode to the Mediterranean, with textures and finishes that evoke the sea and the beach.

The owner, a young lover of the sea and surfing who grew up in this popular fishing neighborhood, decided to give his grandparents' house a new lease on life, transforming it into a modern and functional home while maintaining its Mediterranean essence.

The house, located in a protected building in the seaside neighborhood of Cabanyal, dates back to 1925. Originally dark and highly compartmentalized, it has been stripped of unnecessary cladding, revealing a wooden structure with a loft and the load-bearing wall that was once the rear façade. Its new layout maintains and enhances these elements, incorporating movable pieces and spacious areas to adapt to new uses.

The continuous sand-colored floor connects all corners of the house, evoking the long beaches of Bolonia in Cadiz. The living area is articulated by the large central island in a washed green color, made of textured tile and turquoise green Silestone, reminiscent of the movement of the sea. The kitchen, in neutral tones and oak wood, opens onto the living room, unifying both spaces.

The Mediterranean is also reflected in the color palette of the space. Brown and gray tones, along with a deep, bright blue in the master bathroom, evoke the Costa Brava and the open sea. The selected furniture includes Mediterranean-style pieces, such as the wooden and rope chairs in the dining room and the microcement coffee table, accompanied by linen and cotton textiles.

The façade has been renovated with respect for the architectural heritage, restoring its original appearance with wooden carpentry and traditional Alicante shutters, elements that are very characteristic of the houses in Cabanyal, thus preserving the identity and nature of the building.

The living area features permeable lacquered wood paneling that conceals a storage room for surfboards and a small bathroom inspired by Cala Rotja in Menorca. The private area of the home, consisting of an office and a bedroom with an en-suite bathroom and dressing room, retains the old red brick load-bearing wall, whose original openings connect the dressing room to the bedroom and bathroom, acting as a light filter.

The decorative lighting, composed of pieces designed in collaboration with artisan Adriana Cabello, incorporates different grain sizes of clay in the same tones, with textured or glazed finishes depending on their location. The functional lighting project is integrated into the ceilings or hidden in the structures, thus enhancing the ornamental and decorative details of the space.