For better or for worse, we are in the age of social networks. My job forces me to use them for more than just fun and entertainment, but sometimes work gives us a reward... Like discovering thanks to Jaime (@jaimecopon), our community manager, these two profiles: @MRElectrique i @palpalloques. A couple who were renovating a flat, and who were sharing on social networks the evolution of the renovation under the same name. hashtag#elpisetdelaroqueta.
Let's go in parts. Who are these two? En Martí is a lawyer with no clue about the language, who we know for his activity on social networks, his blog and above all for being the author of the book Busca qui t'ha pegat. And Lluís, whom I was able to meet in person, is a young architect who is not satisfied with the reality of the sector at present, and who shows his love for the architectural heritage.
Neither Martí nor Lluís were originally from Valencia, but they were looking for a refuge in the capital. And they were very clear about one thing: they did not want to buy a newly built home, but one with a history to take advantage of, renovate and embellish its original elements. This led them to the centre of Valencia, with the focus almost always on the same place: Ruzafa or Ciutat Vella. But as this couple never seem to go down the most obvious paths, they ended up finding a beautiful home in a charming neighbourhood, steeped in history, and much less gentrified: La Roqueta. A neighbourhood with colourful façades from the early 20th century, with completely Xinxesque streets, and with the bustle of the activity of the modernist Estació del Nord train station. Oh, and possibly, the best known sex shop in Valencia, for those who may find it useful...
This precious property is located in a charming neighbourhood steeped in history: La Roqueta. Much less gentrified than Russafa or Ciutat Vella.
Lluís told me that one of the requirements was that the flat had to have hydraulic paving. And boy, did they find it! Monapart had not yet arrived in València, so an agency in the neighbourhood showed them this 1925 building. Apart from the hydraulic paving, this flat has high ceilings, original woodwork on the doors and a kitchen... Oh, what a kitchen! The original light blue aluminium furniture, of which they have used the upper part and combined it with Ikea furniture, a retro tiled wall and original mid-century wooden handles, is one of the things that most amazed me.
The house breathes the personality of this couple from all four sides. It has a traveller's spirit, political commitment and, above all, a marked taste for design. There is a clear commitment to eclectic furnishings and decoration, including Scandinavian illustrations together with the consultation furniture of a retired doctor and posters that reflect the new País Valencià. As for the work - a little traumatic, as I have glimpsed -, apart from conserving the so-called original elements, the couple has opted for two very modern materials, full of spirit and very modern, such as OSB and, above all, polycarbonate.
There is a clear commitment to eclectic furnishings and decoration, with Scandinavian illustrations alongside the consultation furniture of a retired doctor and posters reflecting the new País Valencià.
The #elpisetdelaroqueta refurbishment has changed the layout giving a new dimension to the house, converting the original hallway into a service area that brings together bathroom and wardrobes and ends in the kitchen. This creates an open space that shows all the charms of the flat in a very "cathedral-like" layout: central naves and adjoining "chapels". The main chapel (bedroom), where I don't think mass will be said but certainly many confessions will be heard, has one of the most curious features of the flat, a chapel made up of two coffers made of wood. Nyàs!
It's time to (not) finish the article. Because when I went there, the refurbishment of #elpisetdelaroqueta was not finished. Nor will it ever be, because the house looks alive, especially with an architect living in it. It was precisely him who told me that a house is an organic being, which evolves together with its inhabitants... So this story goes on for ever. We will follow it closely on social networks: #elpisetdelaroqueta.
This beautiful refurbishment of a house in the Roqueta neighbourhood in Valencia has been the talk of the social networks. Its creators, @MRElectrique and @palpalloques, have been sharing step by step the evolution of the project under the hashtag #elpisetdelaroqueta. So that we don't lose the thread ...
