Inside Masquespacio’s Vibrant Haven in the Valencia Countryside
Nestled in the countryside of Valencia, Spain—yet a mere 3 miles from the city center—is the home, studio, and workshop of Masquespacio. Expats and work/life partners Ana Hernández (from Colombia) and Christophe Penasse (from Belgium) cofounded the award-winning firm in 2010 with a focus on graphic design, but have since pivoted to residential and commercial interiors, with projects spanning Norway, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. Four years ago, the duo—she serves as creative director, he as CEO—launched an experimental product-focused division dubbed Mas Creations, for which their home base functions as a testing ground.
They applied their signature love of color and geometry to the property, which is actually two structures: a traditional 1925 brick farmhouse connected to a rear barn by an interior courtyard. The ground floor encompasses the office and a workshop for prototyping and producing inventive furnishings, shapely ceramics (see the 3D-printed clay Cono series), and other items showcasing the studio’s melding of modern technology with handicraft. The second-floor living quarters is furnished almost entirely with a rotating mix of Mas Creations designs: from ceramic-base tables to circular seating.
Giving a futuristic nod to Memphis, geometric shapes repeat throughout; note the lofted area overlooking the courtyard, where a series of freestanding curves enclose the bed, the TV zone, and a mediation nook. “The interplay of square, triangular, and circular forms recall our graphic-design past,” Hernández explains. Adds Penasse, “Our intention here was to maintain the essence of the house’s historical character, but, upstairs, our hand is more visible: a touch of brutalism reinvented by way of color contrast, artisanal materials, and texture.” Attributes we’ll no doubt be seeing more of in their next collection.
12 Standout Items From Masquespacio’s Futuristic Workshop
1. Cilinder Lamp
The Cilinder lamp in glazed ceramic is one of the latest designs from Masquespacio’s product offshoot, Mas Creations, and a recent addition to the couple’s living space.
2. Cloud Big Collection
The Cloud Big lounge and footrest are dressed in pleather.
3. A Green Rooftop Terrace
The residence, combining a 1925 farmhouse and a barn that once sheltered animals, boasts a roof terrace.
4. This Lime-Green Curved Headboard
A colorful curved pod serves as a headboard and screens the sleeping area from the interior courtyard below. “We didn’t touch the house’s structure, limiting our interventions to materials and decorative selections,” Hernández says.
5. Maora Ceramic Tiles
The monochromatic bathroom features custom-colored tiles by Maora Ceramic, with whom Masquespacio launched a recent collaboration.
6. Mas Creations Pastel Pieces
The living area’s Pouf table, Ball chair, Yellow couch, Cono table, and ceramic planters are among the new pieces Mas Creations debuted at Maison&Objet Paris in January.
7. Upholstered Triangle Chair
An all-upholstered Triangle chair sits near the kitchen.
8. Ring Stool
A circle of paulownia wood tops the Ring stool’s base of glazed ceramic and terra-cotta.
9. Geometric Seating Nook
The pair’s Triangle chair, this time in wood, joins the Ring table in the bedroom area.
10. Vescom Semi-Sheer Curtains
Semi-sheer custom curtains from Vescom veil the lofted upstairs living space and create a colorful accent in the interior courtyard, with a chair and an ottoman from Masquespacio’s Monoprix collaboration.
11. Greenery-Planted Courtyard
The greenery-planted courtyard, featuring a chair-like sculpture from the pair’s Forms & Textures series in painted PLA, “is a transition space we use for photo shoots, after-work sports, and family dinners,” Penasse notes.
12. Cono XL Table
The Cono XL table’s silhouette derives from 3D-printed clay with a handmade finish.
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