Kitchens designed by Santos, as seen by photographer Mayte Piera
26 / 02 / 2021
Mayte Piera is a photographer who—since the start of her professional career in 1992—has regularly collaborated with specialist media in architecture and décor. Her work has been published in countless magazines and books in these fields. For this article, she chose and talked about five of the home photo shoots she has done, all of them kitted out with kitchens designed by Santos.
Mayte Piera: an emotional standpoint
After graduating with a degree in Audiovisual Information Sciences, Mayte Piera gradually specialised in architectural photography, juggling her work as a photographer and a teacher. In fact, she recently joined forces with two colleagues to open Espacio Modotti, an audiovisual creation centre and photography school in Valencia. In the workshops she gives, she makes every effort to ensure that students approach photography from an emotional standpoint, paying particular attention to the emotions and feelings evoked by the spaces.
Her other passion is landscape photography, which for her is a way of talking about the world around her. In this field, her works show both nature at its purest and the mark humans leave on it.
The Tabacalera penthouse, by Álvaro Navarro Estudio
This flat, designed by the architects of Álvaro Navarro Estudio, is located near the course of the Turia River, the green space that runs through the city of Valencia. The dining room and living room share a wide, open space that—through large sliding doors—connects to the kitchen, where the black island makes a sharp contrast with the rest of the white furnishings. The combination of natural materials, enhanced by carefully planned lighting, helps to create a warm and pleasant atmosphere.
The R home, by Hernández Arquitectos
The R home, designed by Hernández Arquitectos, has two entrances as a result of a 3-metre difference in elevation, leading to an interesting combination of volumes and heights. A series of dry stone walls partially enfold the white structure, creating a play of surfaces that can be gradually appreciated as one approaches the building. The walls, joined together by an aged curved tile roof, form a large porch that connects the home to the garden. The combination of stone, wood and items in neutral colours transforms this space into a versatile living zone that—aside from serving as an extension to the indoor living room—functions as a dining room attached to the kitchen. The flooring ties the different areas together, aside from bringing visual uniformity to the whole.
The RC home, by Hernández Arquitectos
The RC home is located in the Eixample district right in the heart of Valencia. The design by Hernández Arquitectos kept the high ceilings throughout the home, thus leaving one of the key features of buildings in this area intact. Inside, the layout clearly distinguishes between private and public areas. The living room, dining room and kitchen share one bright and open space, in which the trees along the avenue overlooking the building create a natural backdrop. Neutral colours and different textures give the space a distinctive personality, while giving it a very cosy feel.
Casa Colón, de Mariano Dexeus y Cerveró Obras
Casa Colón is a 227-square-metre flat that is on the fourth floor of a building dating back to 1970, located on Valencia’s busiest shopping street. After a stunning refurbishment carried out by the architect Mariano Dexeus and the company Cerveró Obras, its layout now features an entrance hall, corridor, kitchen, dining room, living room, three suites, a dressing room and a terrace. All the rooms, except the rooms with plumbing, have natural wood flooring using the same material with which the partition between the entrance hall and the living room is made of. Access to the kitchen is through two glazed doors, one found in the dining room and another in the corridor, which makes it easy to freely move about the home. The focal point of the kitchen—which has a floor area of more than 25 square metres—is the large central peninsula clad in Corian, around which the rest of the white-lacquered units are laid out.
The BJ home, by Hernández Arquitectos
The comprehensive refurbishment of this flat, which was carried out by Hernández Arquitectos, is characterised by a carefully planned layout of the floor, with the living room and dining room serving as a hub and the bedrooms symmetrically located on each of the sides. The minimalist design harmoniously blends with different textures and features, such as the decorative slat panels at the entrance hall, the mouldings and the recovered Nolla mosaic flooring. Using contemporary language, the works have created a calm and balanced atmosphere.
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