GM Apartment, Spain | Onside



Spanish studio Onside refurbished an apartment in Valencia, Spain, with a minimalist approach that focuses on the use of wood and light as key features that define the interior space.

Photography © Alfonso Calza



Description from Onside l estudio de arquitectura:

“GM Apartment
Refurbishment and interior design of an apartment placed in “El Ensanche” district of Valencia.
onside | architecture · interior · design

Spanish studio onside, formed by architects Carlos Balada and Carlos Bonet, planed the refurbishment and interior design of an apartment placed in “El Ensanche” district of Valencia. The preliminary design of this apartment, received in 2013 the Valencia CREA Award, to recognize the work of young artists in the Interior Design category | Ciudad de Valencia Award.

It is a five members family: a couple with two kids and a teenager. Its expected to improve an apartment reformed less than ten years ago which presented important storage problems, incoherent circulations, absence of criterion, dark spaces without natural ventilation and incorrect mixture of uses.

We put all the needs together in two groups, on the one hand server elements are attached along the perimeter, and on the other, central storage spaces order and distribute a continuous space characterized by the visual plainness, where each cm has an assigned function.

Due to the solution adopted are achieved open and interconnected spaces, more light and ventilation, same material solution in the whole unit, as well as make the most of space, tripling storage and giving new uses to those places without it before, like the corridor, which accommodates a reading space before the library in the public side, and a desk in the private space which has the possibility of isolate itself by the sliding doors.

As a special requirement of the client is maximized the kitchen value as hearth of the house, and meeting point for the family.




A limited palette of materials and colours are used in order to achieve plain spaces and visual simplicity, where be able to rest and disconnect from the outside world. Lighting design is taken as basic principle in Onside works. These timeless and sober spaces are achieved by a hidden light system which lights up each room.

From the purity of white and the nobility of wood is achieved a timeless atmosphere where light is the protagonist.

The Interior design and the furniture choice have been done from elements in accordance with the global image of the project, focused always on confort and usefulness. The architects have designed different pieces like the pufs, coffee table and the dining table, extensible and of large dimensions.

For the Living Room, it is selected a large format sofa from SANCAL, City Casual model. In the Bedrooms, bedside tables from TREKU, Ober model. For the Kitchen are chosen Last Minute Stools from VICCARBE, Patricia Urquiola design. 

In order to the lighting, it is chosen the german Brand FRAUMAIER, Cluster model for the Dining room, Binic lamps from FOSCARINI for bedside tables, and Tolomeo model from ARTEMIDE for desks. For the Reading space are chosen two lamps from LUZIFER, Chou Model, designed by Yonoh, as well as the Opot model, a flowerpot fastener for desks. It stands out Dots model, the coat hanger system from MUUTO, beside the entrance.”










Source: Onside