House in Ontinyent by Borja García Studio, Spain

This sleek and slender house is a stylish extension to a former 1940s textile factory in the municipality of Ontinyent in Valencia. Designed by local architecture firm Borja García Studio, the minimalist house emanates elegant modernity

(Image credit: TBC)

By Ellie Stathaki

published 17 February 2014

House In Ontinyent — The heart of the project is a large open living space located on the ground floor. Harnessing the building's history and past life as a factory, the architects created bold open spaces using the existing height, complemented by its elegant interiors

Living space of a House In Ontinyent — Created for José Antonio Gandía Blasco, president of outdoor furniture manufacture Gandia Blasco, the space serves as both his home and office

Living room with largely white interior is punctuated by muted greys and the occasional pop of considered colour. — The largely white interior is punctuated by muted greys and the occasional pop of considered colour. The living room plays host to a vertical mural offering a visual overview of the history of Blasco's company

A sculptural staircase directs visitors throughout the five remaining upper and lower levels

The studied yet simple use of uncluttered space links each room

Kitchen area displaying the materials used throughout the house were kept in their organic state, accentuated by an abundance of bright natural light — The materials used throughout the house were kept in their organic state, accentuated by an abundance of bright natural light

Bathroom image demonstrating that concrete plays a prominent role, giving the house its robust personality — Concrete plays a prominent role, giving the house its robust personality

Empty room displaying concrete walls, floor and ceiling — 'For us concrete is architecture, structure and expression,' says the architect

An all-white concrete pool sits within a classically-landscaped outdoor area

Seven concrete steps cascading down into a swimming pool — From above, the turquoise pool provides a rare splash of colour under the Valencian sun, while the concrete steps echo the architectural details within the home

White room containing a white stairwell, with a striped coloured seating area at the bottom — Clarity of design prevails throughout, ensuring the house speaks of the same values and aesthetics as the client's business

White bedroom, displaying the corner of a bed and showing the view from the window looking out onto a tree — Height and light play a key part in creating the open, airy volumes that define the character of this project

White room, with a white and black striped rug and a small wooden stool — Borja García are known for their 'naked and honest' use of materials, here consolidated by the emphasis on white across the project

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture Editor at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018) and Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020).