Casa Jazz
«You can’t help it. An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times» – Nina Simone.
«You can’t help it. An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times» – Nina Simone.
Casa Jazz is a rehabilitation of a Valencian house from the 1970s.
Despite having a very compartmentalized old layout, the house had some interesting architectural features, such as low windows, en-suite bathrooms, and a structure with hanging beams.
However, the variety of vintage design furniture we found in the house caught our attention the most.
This furniture gave the house a marked ’60s jazz club character, a style that we had to preserve through a correct choice of materials and a layout that respected the existing one but reinterpreted it. Thus, the focus of the renovation was to maintain the house’s essence.
First, the kitchen became the central element of the space,
choosing a natural, dark walnut wood, like those seen in modern architecture. A wood that had personality and showed its grain and nuances. The wardrobe with walnut finishes in front becomes a decorative element and the visual point of reference at the home’s entry.
Natural stone was again used for the kitchen countertop,
specifically Capolavoro quartzite from Antolini, Italy. This dark stone with brown veins and red inlays would match the chosen wood. We looked for a smooth finish without shine and with a particular texture to highlight all the nuances of the stone. This final texture, combined with the choice of materials and the curved shapes, gives sensuality to this sculptural element.
Furthermore, this play of curved shapes
is repeated in the false ceiling, creating balanced geometric meetings while softening the circulations.
We opted for red ceramic bricks without grouting for the kitchen wall that opens to the living room.
Thus, we endow the space with two powerful perspectival backgrounds, which combine perfectly with the dark materials while offering order due to their modulation, meeting, and texture. The ceramic tiles helped balance the area’s colour contrast.
For the floor, we opted for pale brown micro-cement, a colour that does not muffle but enhances the house’s reds and browns. The metalwork was designed in bronze, again with a nod to mid-century architecture.
Following the common thread, furniture reminiscent of the golden age of jazz was recovered and refurbished.
The main characters are smoke glass, black wood, and chromed or polished steel. The most outstanding pieces include the famous Cesca chairs, a vintage smoked glass dining table by Milo Baughman and two pieces from the Zero collection by the Valencian designer Antonio Camarasa.
