Wood kitchen with island and dining room in a refurbished traditional home
30 / 09 / 2022
Casa A Zapateira is a traditional two-storey stone house set in a valley amidst forests and farmland. Inés, its current owner, lived in it as a child, enjoying life in the countryside – which has still kept its old-world charm intact to date. Now, years later, she decided to refurbish it to turn it into the home where she’ll live with her partner and son.
The renovation project was designed with the aim of bringing back and preserving the essence of the original building, elevating it and showing it as it is, with all its imperfections and peculiarities. Thus, the first step involved doing away with all additional volumes and sheds around it. Then, the stone was uncovered, after carefully chipping away at the mortar in the joints and washing the stone to showcase the beauty of its natural colours again.
To make the home larger and to meet the family’s need for more space, a building made of exposed reinforced concrete was put up and connected to the original stone structure through a glass linkway. This intermediate module, made of huge panes of glass, serves as an entrance hall that, aside from facilitating access to the home’s public areas, contributes towards creating a smooth transition between its two main volumes.
The renovation undertook a complete overhaul of the interior of the original home, knocking down the partition walls that led to excessive partitioning. This made it possible to create larger, more open and comfortable spaces, where both light and the connection to the exterior take centre stage.
The interior design is characterised by a delicate combination of traditional materials such as stone, pine and chestnut, and more contemporary materials such as concrete, aluminium or steel, leaving them exposed to showcase their natural beauty. The outcome seamlessly fuses together the old and the new, sitting seamlessly in harmony with the lush, open landscape surrounding it.
Lower level: daytime living area with kitchen, dining room and living room
The kitchen with island and the dining room occupy the entire floor of the volume in concrete. For the kitchen furniture, a FINE design by Santos was chosen, combining the Vertical Light Elm and Mink Grey wood finishes. The preparation and cooking areas are found in a centre island kitted out with two drawer units fitted with full-extension, large-capacity double drawers. A discreet ceiling hood takes care of fume extraction, creating a more open space as it does away with visual barriers.
The quartzite worktop, which extends over the sides of the island, gives rise to a sleek and sculptural block, where the stone finish creates an interesting contrast against the grey colour of the fronts and the back. The worktop also extends towards the rear side of the island, serving as a counter on which to enjoy a snack or quick meal. To make serving and clearing away cutlery easier, the dining room was placed in front of the island – completely open and connected to the kitchen.
The rest of the kitchen furniture is laid out in an L along two partition walls, with two compositions of floor-to-ceiling tall units featuring fronts in a Vertical Light Elm wood finish. Thus, there are two tall units integrating the fridge and freezer as well as a tall unit with retractable doors perpendicular to the island. Its fronts can be temporarily hidden away along its sides, providing easy access to the entire space. Its custom interiors in a Light Elm wood finish come with shelves, interior double drawers and an oven.
Parallel to the island, there’s a tall larder unit with adjustable shelves and another one with retractable doors and custom interiors in a Light Elm wood finish, with a breakfast area and drawer unit with two double drawers.
The washing-up area is found in the corner between the two blocks of tall units. Its strategic location, right in front of a large window, lets the users make the most of the natural light streaming in. The units in this area include a drawer unit, an integrated dishwasher and a sink unit with recycling bins.
Also on the ground level, a bathroom, a laundry area and a large living room are found on the floor of the volume in stone. In this area, the high ceiling with a pine laminate structure stands out, lending it with an air of stately spaciousness and a homey, cosy feel at the same time. The living room boasts an elegant staircase that leads to the home’s upper level.
Upper level: nighttime area and study
The upper floor is where the nighttime area is found, with a suite in the stone block and two children’s bedrooms and a bathroom in the concrete block.
A spacious and comfortable study sits in the area between both structures. On this level, natural chestnut wood flooring was used, bringing a wonderful feeling of warmth to the spaces.
In the suite, the ceiling also catches the eye, featuring a pine laminate structure similar to the one used in the living room. The headboard and wardrobe, made to measure in blue lacquered wood, are also quite striking.
For the children’s bedroom, a delicate combination of light colours and wood was chosen to create a cheerful and relaxed atmosphere – extremely conducive to the little one’s moments of play and rest.
THE PROPERTY
Category: Detached house
Location: Mos (Pontevedra)
Architecture: Estefanía Grandal Leirós of Encaixe Arquitectura
Photography: Héctor Santos-Díez
THE KITCHEN
Santos dealer: Alipa Cociñas
Santos furniture: Vertical Light Elm FINE (Base units and tall units) and Mink Grey FINE (Island)
Layout: L-shaped with island
Worktops: Neolith Avorio Satin (Base units) and Naturamia Perla Venata Vintage by Levantina (Island)
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