Tile-clad Japanese buildings inform self-designed office in Valencia

Architect Paloma Bau and creative director Ausiàs Pérez have collaborated on designing their shared office in Valencia, Spain, featuring a large communal kitchen and tiled spaces that draw on Tokyo architecture.

Sornells 21 is named after its address in the city's Ruzafa neighbourhood and was designed by Bau and Pérez as a space where their studios can operate independently but come together to socialise.

The two friends worked together to develop a design based on their shared passion for Japanese architecture and culture, with Pérez's T.O.T Studio providing the overall concept and Bau handling the architectural project.

Bau told Dezeen that the initial idea was to evoke an izakaya – a relaxed style of bar serving drinks and sharing plates in downtown Tokyo.

"Our approach was to transform the space into a large bar that embraces the entire surface, with the kitchen as its nerve centre," she explained.

"As the project evolved, however, new ideas emerged and new spaces took shape, each taking us to different places in Japan."

Other Japanese influences that define the interior include Tokyo's tiled facades and pavements, as well as the calming atmosphere of traditional onsen bathing facilities.

The 170-square-metre U-shaped space provides dual street access at either end, with Bau's studio occupying one side and Pérez's the other, while the central area houses the kitchen and meeting space.

The entrance zones introduce the project's Japanese theme, with white ceramic tiles forming a threshold that is emphasised on one side by a large ceiling mirror.

The covered entrance also features a tiled table and a bench made from white-painted concrete blocks – a material that recurs throughout the interior.

Office areas on either side of the floor plan are lined with tatami-informed benches for casual seating, some of which incorporate planters for an extra layer of functionality.

The kitchen situated to the rear of the space is organised around a 7.2-metre-long, partially cantilevered table featuring a steel structure and concrete block legs that support a surface made from black San Vicente stone.

The bar is illuminated by a bespoke luminaire informed by the traditional noren curtains that mark the thresholds of Japanese taverns and shops.

A small stair concealed behind the kitchen panelling leads to a meeting room featuring vibrant pops of pink and blue and playful details that contrast with the pared-back sobriety of the main workspace.

Shower-head light fixtures, mirrors flanked by bathroom handrails and a false skylight positioned above a small planter lend the space an illusory feel that Bau described as "pure fun".

"Traditional onsen often carry a slightly absurd, even comical quality," she pointed out. "We wanted to embrace that spirit by creating a space that stands out and gives us the freedom to design playfully – almost with a childlike sense of curiosity."

Bau explained that the project's predominantly restrained material palette, balanced with impactful moments such as the meeting room and bright red bathrooms, creates a sensory journey that avoids explicitly referencing familiar Japanese design cues.

"While tiles may be the most recognisable element of Japanese architecture, the remaining materials are not meant as literal references, but as expressions of its underlying ideology," she claimed.

"The emphasis lies not in the materials themselves, but in their encounters: in the shapes, the contrasts and ultimately in the atmosphere the space conveys."

In addition to its everyday role as a dual studio space, Sornells 21 provides a place for community gatherings, events and exhibitions. Flexible furniture, curtains and hanging rails for displaying artworks ensure the space can easily adapt to these various programmatic requirements.

Bau's studio adopts a narrative-based approach to its work in the fields of interior design, retail and full-scale renovations, resulting in projects with a focus on craftsmanship and intelligent detailing.

The studio's previous work includes the renovation of a 1920s home that preserves its Mediterranean character, and an update to a seaside apartment that incorporates East Asian influences.

The post Tile-clad Japanese buildings inform self-designed office in Valencia appeared first on Dezeen.