My Houzz: A Stylish Family Home Filled With Art and Design
Crisp white and dark grey walls make the perfect foil for artworks and vintage finds in this light-filled, creative home
Renowned Spanish graphic designer Ibán Ramón is well-known for his 2016 poster campaign for the Valencian Las Fallas festival (held yearly to mark St Joseph’s Day on 19 March). He’s designed for Point, Gan and other well-known brands – and received numerous awards for his work – and his home clearly reflects his passions.
Along with his wife, architect Sonia Rayos, and their four sons, Ramón lives in the trendy Ruzafa district of Valencia, Spain, and the couple’s passion for graphic design and photography, not to mention a knack for tracking down cool antiques and flea-market finds, shows in every room.
Along with his wife, architect Sonia Rayos, and their four sons, Ramón lives in the trendy Ruzafa district of Valencia, Spain, and the couple’s passion for graphic design and photography, not to mention a knack for tracking down cool antiques and flea-market finds, shows in every room.
“When the kids go to bed, Sonia and I come in here to chill out or read,” he says. “We don’t have a television. The kids know this space is for relaxing and they have to be quiet in this part of the house.”
The Eames House Bird from Vitra stands on top of an antique cabinet the owners found at a flea market.
“We took this house because it was in good condition and had many interesting original details. Sonia and I did the renovation. It mostly involved a redistribution of the spaces in order to get more natural light, since the house used to be full of partitions and therefore really dark. It’s now, obviously, very bright,” Ramón says.
The side table is made from a display case found at a street market.
The side table is made from a display case found at a street market.
The mouldings and rosette are original. Ramón says they connected the mouldings in what were once separate rooms with mouldings from the walls that were knocked down. “There are many things I would never do in a modern house, but it made sense in this place,” he says.
White Holy Day armchair by Jean-Marie Massaud for Viccarbe.
White Holy Day armchair by Jean-Marie Massaud for Viccarbe.
Over the sofa hang two photographs from Ramón’s Spanish Typographic Landscapes series. It features old, forgotten signs and billboards enveloped in fog.
“These two pictures are from an exhibition from a few years ago,” Ramón says. “I’m a graphic designer by profession; I’m interested in photography only from an artistic point of view, as a kind of hobby. On free weekends, we often go to look for places where the fog is densest. I like national highways the most, where there isn’t much traffic and where you can find many of these abandoned billboards.”
“These two pictures are from an exhibition from a few years ago,” Ramón says. “I’m a graphic designer by profession; I’m interested in photography only from an artistic point of view, as a kind of hobby. On free weekends, we often go to look for places where the fog is densest. I like national highways the most, where there isn’t much traffic and where you can find many of these abandoned billboards.”
“One of my favourite things about this house is that we already owned most of the furniture and decor,” Ramón says. “We bought almost nothing, and everything we already had fits perfectly into the space. I like the fact that you have to go through everything you own when you’re moving into another apartment. I think the final result is warmer, more natural, and has a lived-in feel.”
Pendant lamp, A338 by Alvar Aalto for Artek. Sculpture by Ramón.
Pendant lamp, A338 by Alvar Aalto for Artek. Sculpture by Ramón.
This sofa is from the Spanish manufacturer Sancal. “The truth is that this is a piece for just one person, since it only has one armrest,” Ramón says, laughing.
To the right of the sofa, a poster with the letter “A” stands out. “It’s a work by Julius Klinger, an Austrian graphic designer associated with the Bauhaus movement, who was persecuted, deported and executed by the Nazis because of his Jewish roots,” Ramón says.
To the right of the sofa, a poster with the letter “A” stands out. “It’s a work by Julius Klinger, an Austrian graphic designer associated with the Bauhaus movement, who was persecuted, deported and executed by the Nazis because of his Jewish roots,” Ramón says.
Past the Klinger poster is a recess painted a contrasting white.
There are many vintage war and holiday posters in the house. Ramón is an avid graphic design collector, focusing especially on the Spanish Civil War. He regularly lends items to various museums.
“I’ve collected approximately 2,000 pieces,” he says. “Many people already know about my collection, and they keep asking me to send them postcards, posters and publications to give these pieces exposure.”
There are many vintage war and holiday posters in the house. Ramón is an avid graphic design collector, focusing especially on the Spanish Civil War. He regularly lends items to various museums.
“I’ve collected approximately 2,000 pieces,” he says. “Many people already know about my collection, and they keep asking me to send them postcards, posters and publications to give these pieces exposure.”
Ramón keeps part of this extensive collection in an old filing cabinet he bought at the Mercantic street market in Barcelona.
“I have great affection for this piece, not just because I keep parts of my own collection in it, but also because it was really difficult to find,” Ramón says. “I had to wait many years before I could use it, because I had no space for it. The sign on top is from a company on Denia Street, where we used to live.”
“I have great affection for this piece, not just because I keep parts of my own collection in it, but also because it was really difficult to find,” Ramón says. “I had to wait many years before I could use it, because I had no space for it. The sign on top is from a company on Denia Street, where we used to live.”
The couple updated the heating system, but kept the original 1930s radiators, which they repaired and repainted. On the left stands the original boiler, also repainted white; they now serves as decoration only. “We left them where they were when we got here,” Ramón says.
Like the tiles and wood together on this floor? See more inspiring pairings
Like the tiles and wood together on this floor? See more inspiring pairings
Ramón has always been attracted to the creative side of interior design. “I love decoration and everything that’s related to architecture and design. When I was just a little boy, I constantly rearranged things in my mother’s house,” Ramón says.
“Even though the floor is mostly original, this part is not. Approximately 60% of the tiles had been ruined. We salvaged those we could and used them in other areas of the house,” Ramón says.
Here they rearranged the tiles into a new pattern. “They originally formed a flower, but we created a more abstract and geometric design.”
Here they rearranged the tiles into a new pattern. “They originally formed a flower, but we created a more abstract and geometric design.”
This is an old Las Fallas poster by designer Josep Renau Berenguer. It’s one of Ramón’s favourite pieces, because it’s so different from the rest of his collection.
This living room leads on to the master bedroom. “The double door for the bedroom once divided two small living rooms. Since we liked it, we decided to use it as our bedroom,” Ramón says.
“Because of my passion for collecting things, I always visit all the street markets I possibly can. So, whenever I go to a new city, I always come back with a new piece. For example, I bought the bedside table in a market in Zurich, a city I love for its great design culture.”
“Because of my passion for collecting things, I always visit all the street markets I possibly can. So, whenever I go to a new city, I always come back with a new piece. For example, I bought the bedside table in a market in Zurich, a city I love for its great design culture.”
Ramón says he doesn’t have a particular interior style. “I believe you build your house step by step, organically. It also depends on the house. I never thought I could have old radiators or mouldings in my home, but all of this makes sense here. The most important thing is designing the layout so it’s easy and lovely, with good natural light in every room,” he says.
The bedroom features a walk-in wardrobe and a bathroom. Next to the mirror stands an original drawing by the artist Paula Bonet, with a picture of Rayos in the corner of the frame.
On a chest of drawers opposite the bed is a portrait of Rayos by illustrator María Herreros.
The bathroom is connected to the hallway and the bedroom – this part of the layout was left unchanged. There are no visible light fixtures here. Instead, lighting is hidden behind the mirror and in the ceiling. Ramón notes that they put some of the tiles they saved from other parts of the house into the bathrooms.
This is how to squeeze in a master suite (that even feels roomy)
This is how to squeeze in a master suite (that even feels roomy)
A hallway runs between the two living rooms. The children’s bedrooms exit off of it.
The younger sons share a bedroom with a bunk bed.
Ramón is not the only one in the family who loves to collect. Here, a variety of Lego creations are on display.
The older children share this room, which has a bunk bed and a little desk area.
The second living room plus the dining room and kitchen are at the end of the hallway. “This is the room where we live our family life. The truth is, it’s often taken over by our sons,” Ramón says.
Originally, this space was made up of three different rooms: a kitchen, a pantry and a bedroom for the housekeepers. Now the dining and living room are combined into one, with a separate kitchen.
Originally, this space was made up of three different rooms: a kitchen, a pantry and a bedroom for the housekeepers. Now the dining and living room are combined into one, with a separate kitchen.
“In this part of the house, we changed the whole layout of the spaces and re-did the kitchen. Even though we liked elements of the original, such as the marble, we decided to make it more practical,” Ramón says.
What do you like about this home? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
What do you like about this home? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here Graphic designer Ibán Ramón, his wife, architect Sonia Rayos, and their four sons, Ibán and Pau, both 14, Teo, 10, and Pol, 7
Location Ruzafa, Valencia, Spain
Size About 220 sq m
Photos by Paula G Furió
Ramón and Rayos have been living in this house for four years. Its layout is somewhat unusual, with two entrances – the main entrance and one that would have traditionally been used by housekeepers – and two large rooms for communal use.
“This allowed us to have two living rooms: one for just Sonia and me and another, next to the kitchen, for the whole family,” Ramón says. “We have four children, so we had to find a big house with enough space for everybody.”