Square clay tiles for a swimming pool in Vera, Almeria, Spain

The architecture and landscaping firm Paissano has been in charge of the integral reform of a house on the Almeria coast of Vera, in a project that welcomes the transformation of both the interior and exterior of the house. We have contributed with our Cuadrado 10 in flamed straw tone, with which the studio has composed several square tile panels for the pool, the barbecue and the living room.

This project is a perfect example of the versatility of terracotta tiles. The studio has used the same checkerboard for the interior and exterior, and the pieces work in both environments. The exterior of the house has several zones. It has an area around the pool, a chill out area, a barbecue area… and we found our pieces spread over several areas. In the barbecue area, we found them at the bar and at the bottom of the shelves that cover the kitchen. In the pool area, a painting is the protagonist of the wall that runs lengthwise, enclosed by a frame in relief.

The exterior lighting accents are centered right in these spaces. Putting the bulbs facing the tiles brings a special warmth to the patio, since the color of the rest of the materials is much lighter. Our tiles, despite being in one of our lighter shades, are within the natural color palette of terracotta, which is inherently warm.

Connecting the square pool tiles to the interior of the house

Choosing a light palette (straight white in many spots, such as the paint on the walls and the color of the textiles) brings the materials into instant prominence. Suddenly the plants stand out, the wood and wicker stand out as if they were underlined, and with the mud walls the same thing happens, both outside and inside the house.

In the living room that connects the interior of the house with the patio, we also find several boards that use the same format. This resource allows us to connect the inside with the outside; to continue the idea beyond the physical division of spaces.

The fun thing is that both applications would work without the need for the other: this is not a set that only makes sense because you find the other part of the set in the other part of the house. The nice thing about using a material as versatile as terracotta is that it allows for a much wider range of play, because we’re used to seeing it in all kinds of contexts and it looks good anywhere.