Philosopher’s House: Adaptive Reuse Revives a Valencia Townhouse Home
Philosopher’s House sits in Valencia, Spain, a house reworked by Jose Costa Arq. for layered daily life. The renovation orients living around a sunny courtyard and lifts a library into a loft under white-painted rafters. Reused hydraulic tiles, restored doors, and exposed brick anchor the rooms while a red stair stitches inside to out.
Morning pours across brick and concrete as sliding doors open to the courtyard. A red stair rises along the wall, its shadow cutting across white limewash and potted greens.
This is a house in Valencia by Jose Costa Arq., reimagined through reuse and reveal. The project keeps what time left behind and adapts it to new routines, turning constraints into character and everyday rooms into flexible settings for living.
Open The Courtyard
The heart of the plan is the patio where friends gather and dogs roam. Built-in benches, a simple table, and a masonry barbecue set an easy rhythm while string lights trace the upper edge. Large glass panels slide from the living room to the terrace so breeze and conversation cross freely. The red metal stair climbs to a sun deck, and its color will blur into vines as they thicken.
Reuse Old Layers
Existing textures become the palette. Prewar brick runs exposed along key walls, structural reinforcements articulate the ceilings, and fragments of earlier paint read like framed frescoes. At the entry, hydraulic tiles are rescued and reset beside new slabs, a small mosaic of past floors. Restored timber doors feel solid in the hand (their patina softens the fresh plaster), and daylight heightens every grain and chip.
Library And Loft
Books rise on slender shelves to a mezzanine under white rafters. A long desk sits by tall openings with sheer curtains, making a calm place to write and think. The loft doubles as a guest perch or music nook, and a gridded walkway lets light pass through to the level below. Ceiling fans move quiet air along the ridge, keeping the volume comfortable without fuss.
Stair, Storage, Cinema
Rooms pull double duty by intention. A stair threads upward while working as wardrobe, the bathroom expands into a dressing area, and the bedroom converts into a small cinema at night. In the main sitting room, a low cabinet holds records and plants, and pendant shades cast warm pools across concrete. The plan stays open yet bounded by brick piers and curtains that can gather to make intimacy.
Light keeps the house lively and clear. It cuts through grilles, grazes old paint, and slips across timber boards before settling on the courtyard bench.
By reopening the shell and trusting what was already there, the renovation grants the place another life. The result is simple to read and easy to use, with honest surfaces, a sociable patio, and rooms that flex from morning yoga to late-night films.
Photography by Mariela Apollonio
Visit Jose Costa Arq.
