Valencia’s historic Ruzafa neighbourhood has undergone several transformations since its establishment in the ninth century, when it’s believed to have been a favoured munya (or country estate) for Prince Abd Allah al-Balansi. The splendid gardens and orchards that populated the landscape at the time were converted to farmland during the 13th century, and by the late 1800s, it was mainly an industrious working-class community. Today, artists and creatives inhabit the area: Studios and workshops, galleries, fine-dining restaurants, vibey cafés and one-of-a-kind boutiques occupy the architecturally diverse buildings, and along the streets, centuries-old baroque structures rub shoulders with Gothic, modernist and art deco wonders.

With its open and transparent entrances, the co-working space designed by Paloma Bau and T.O.T Studio maintains a clear connection to the neighbourhood.

It is against this vibrant setting that the warehouse, refrigeration and oven areas of a former Mercadona (a Spanish supermarket chain) have been transformed into a shared workspace for a mix of creative professionals. When independent architect and designer Paloma Bau and Ausiàs Pérez, founder of multidisciplinary T.O.T Studio, acquired the 170-square-metre space in 2024, they knew they wanted it to become an inspiring and energizing home for a variety of people working in different disciplines. “I firmly believe that great projects are born from collaboration,” says Bau of their desire to create an environment where synergy flourishes, calling it “not only a professional opportunity to collaborate but also enriching and highly motivating on a day-to-day basis.”

At one entrance, a mirrored ceiling visually expands and alters the space’s proportions. In a nod to Japanese streetscapes, white ceramic tiles clad the walls and a custom-built bench.

In keeping with this spirit, Pérez and Bau worked to their strengths, T.O.T Studio developing the conceptual narrative of the project and Bau and her team taking on the architectural materialization. What resulted is a texturally rich space informed by the duo’s mutual love of Tokyo’s unique urban identity — specifically its izakayas, onsens and ceramic-tiled streets.

Installed above the 7.2-metre-long table is a custom-designed light fixture inspired by noren — traditional Japanese cotton or linen dividers hung in restaurant and shop doorways as signage.

Clad entirely in 10-by-10-centimetre creamy white ceramic tiles, the two street-facing entrances of the U-shaped interiors achieve a distinct sense of arrival. At one threshold, a solid white concrete wraparound bench is the first introduction to the rugged materials used inside, including low-slung cinder block planters, tatami-inspired display surfaces that run along the perimeter and double as seating, and the 7.2-metre-long partially cantilevered worktable around which the interior is organized. Composed of a black San Vicente stone surface supported by a steel beam and sculptural white block leg, the expansive structure seats up to 20 people and serves multiple purposes — as a dining and tasting zone, presentation venue and meeting area.

Raw MDF elements and white concrete lend the interiors a sophisticated yet relaxed identity; a continuous rail system allows the floor-length curtain to close off or open up portions of the interior as needed.

A large central bar in black-tinted MDF functions not only as a co-working setting but also as a place for those that create here to display their goods. Raw MDF, meanwhile, was used to form tables, kitchen cabinets and storage units, the wood lending a warm counterpoint to the white-toned concrete elements and microcement flooring.

In the lower meeting room, energy is instilled through pink grout and public bathroom–inspired elements like the wall lights that reference shower heads.

One major deviation from the space’s prevailing sobriety is a small meeting room accessed through a Klein blue door hidden in the kitchen’s panelling and up a short staircase. In this onsen-influenced mezzanine meeting area, the same ultra-marine washes the metal stairway, complemented by square ceramic tiles with pastel pink–tinted grout, shower head–like light fixtures, oval mirrors and bathroom-style handrails. It’s fun, playful and unexpected, and indicative of the creative atmosphere Bau and the team wanted to foster.