House in Spanish Province

The Matola residence in the city of Elche, Spain, was designed by studio Jaime Sepulcre Arquitecturas and embodies elements of several building types.

At the same time, it aims to be a "Mediterranean house with a patio," intraverted, protected from the outside world and completely white. It also clearly has in its genes a "California house," one of those refined modernist architectural creations that inspire our admiration in Los Angeles.

As in a Mediterranean house, the patio plays an important role in this building—it is a space that expands and multiplies the experience of the home's interior and helps blur the boundaries between interior and exterior. The inner courtyard is also used to articulate the transition from one part of the building to another, separating the common area from the private bedroom zone. Finally, the most remarkable feature of the patio is that it captures and filters light differently at various times of day and year, filling the interior with rich nuances and creating shifting impressions.

Another key element of the house is the kitchen. The entire family life revolves around it, so the kitchen is completely open to the rest of the building—a solution that also stems from the democratization of internal roles and is connected to the idea of holistic living and enjoyment of the entire home space.

Photography: David Frutos