A house in the foothills of the Pyrenees

Among the many factors that contribute to the charm of the Catalonian city of Lleida, perhaps the most significant is its strategic position as the gateway to the Pyrenees. With its splendid landscapes and colours of rare intensity, it is located in a stunning natural environment that includes the magnificent Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park and boasts a deep-rooted architectural tradition epitomized by the Romanesque church complex of Vall de Boí, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This uniquely beautiful setting is also home to a private residence with strongly contemporary architecture that nonetheless blends in perfectly with the surrounding mountain landscape. This highly original project was the work of Lleida-based architecture and interior design firm Be-De-O Relational Projects. «Our main goal is to develop projects that are unique and reflect the personality of the client, in this case a modern, active, nature-loving family with very clear ideas,» said the architects. «We wanted to recreate the atmosphere of a borda, a traditional Pyrenees mountain home, but with the same modern, timeless touch we like to bring to all our projects.»
Materials play a vital role in the design of the house, which extends over two floors and offers stunning views of the surrounding mountain landscapes. Most importantly, different types of wood are used on the floors and walls, for the kitchen furniture and doors, as furnishings and on the ceiling. But despite all appearances, the wood-look surfaces are not just of natural origin, as the floors consist of wood-effect porcelain from the Marazzi Treverktrend collection, chosen in a natural oak version with a worn look and contrasting knots and indentations. Installed in all the rooms, it creates a distinctive and very pleasing sense of spatial continuity. «Although materials such as stone, cotton and iron played a key role in creating the atmosphere we had in mind, the most important materials of all were wood and ceramic. We chose them very carefully, looking closely at every detail and choosing finishes that would enhance their functionality, natural appeal and warmth, while using soft colours to generate a sense of spaciousness and harmony. We wanted to create a place where the client would really feel at home and would be able to appreciate the creativity, sensibility and enthusiasm that inspired the project.»
The ceramic tiles, all produced by Marazzi, not only play a vital role as a floor covering but are also used in place of stone. Mystone Ardesia serves as the cladding on a series of dark volumes, while Stone Art decorates the fireplace with a horizontally-striped 3D effect. A number of decorative accents have also been created using other ceramic wall tiles. In the master bathroom, Materika collection cement tiles are used to decorate the main wall, while products from the same collection but in the Spatula version are used on the adjacent wall, where they coordinate perfectly with wood. And in a fascinating mix&match combination, Treverktrend wood-effect porcelain contrasts with the Clays terracotta-cement effect surfaces chosen in the colour Lava for the secondary bathroom.