María Martinez Cerdá (architect) and Jordi Vañó Tormo (technical architect) are the team at Clau Arquitectura e Interiorismo. At their studio, they adopt a straightforward and personalised approach to harnessing their knowledge and tools to meet the individual needs of each client. Every project is a new challenge for them. Each one is always different from the last and they always choose the best design and combination of finishes for the job at hand.
María Martinez and Jordi Vaño at Clau consider themselves equal parts creative and technical experts, meaning their creations can be realised exactly as they were intended. They also consider themselves empathetic and understanding, which means they always try to meet the specific needs of each client on what will probably be the project of their lifetime.
Since 2014, they have specialised in private home construction and interior design renovations for both homes and businesses (retail). They explained that, in so doing, they have made a commitment to ensuring that turnkey projects are the standard for their company. They take all the tedious busywork that often comes with construction projects off their clients’ hands to let them focus on simply enjoying the whole creative process and only worry about the aesthetic and more pleasant side of the end result.
One of the many projects undertaken by Clau Arquitectura was the Casa Socarrat, for which they used our taps in the bathroom spaces.
Could you tell us about your Casa Socarrat project? What were you looking to achieve before you started this comprehensive renovation project?
Casa Socarrat was a very special project that was given to us by a young couple who bought the property to build their first home. The house is more than 300 years old and stands in the middle of the historic centre of Monóvar (Alicante). It is a listed building due to some spectacular engravings on the eaves.
The goal was always to maintain its traditional soul by renovating the ceramic roof and the timbers on both the façade and the front door, while leaving wooden beams visible inside the interior (after repairing them, of course).
However, we wanted to use more modern materials, straighter lines and lighter colours inside that could bring a sense of spaciousness into the house while making it brighter with white walls, metal joinery and a lot of glass. This style was much closer to what our clients were looking for. It’s why we used a number of different architectural elements and styles to produce a very cosy home.
We can see that neutral colours and wood are the main features of this project. How did you manage to combine the different colours and materials to create that aesthetic balance?
As before, we sought to bring warmth through the colours of wood and certain imitation ceramic materials for the cement floor tiles that would remind you of older style flooring materials.
We believe that the wood and the different neutral colours combine very well with the grey floor tiles we used in the kitchen, which also follows an aesthetic line with the interior patio that is accessed from the kitchen and that serves as a link between the two flooring styles.
How important are taps in your projects?
For us, taps play a very important role in our projects because they are elements that always stand out from the flat planes we design (walls, furniture, etc.). We therefore need them to have a design that suits each project, which is why we often need them to either be more camouflaged into the space or for them to provide the highlight features that perhaps the space would lack otherwise. In either case, we need to think very carefully about what kind of taps we use.
You used our taps in both bathroom spaces. What made you pick Tres?
We always like to use leading brands that can offer guarantees and durability. Taps are something that people use many times every day, so we need them to withstand that constant use and to remain as good as new for as long as possible.
We have been working with Tres for many years and we have never had any problems. Furthermore, their designs suit our clients and what we are looking for to perfection.
