Valencia

Apartment Therapy contributor Alicia Macias photographs beautiful house tours from Spain, and now shows off her own light-filled, airy, and ultra inspiring home.

Though there's a lovely smattering of neutrals and lots of splashes of greenery, black is the central color for Paula Aparicio's home.

Floral wallpaper, a soft color palette, and a row of leafy green pothos plants greet you in this charming rental apartment in Spain.

This couple merged different styles, decades, and objects to create a place that fit with their personality.

Name: Sonia Sabnani Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 1076 square feet (100m2) Years lived in: Rented 3 months Sonia is a fashion photographer who creates bright, modern scenes. Images of style and a touch of rebelliousness inspire her work, as well as how she decorated her beautiful loft. Bright white walls are punctuated by accents of pink and green colors. Everything is in its place. All the incredible photographs in this loft? Taken by her.

Name: Mery and Mili, sisters and owners of Hinojo Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 220 square meters (2368 square feet) Years lived in: 5 years Mery and Mili are two sisters who love food and spend time together cooking healthy and creative meals. They are owners of Hinojo, a food blog they started a few years ago. They share a lot of recipes you can enjoy with family and friends (or just make and enjoy yourself.) They are from Argentina but came to Valencia looking for a change.

Name: Esther, Álvaro and Aníbal Location: Ruzafa — Valencia, Spain Size: 840 square feet (78 square meters) Years lived in: Owned 3 years Esther and Álvaro met seven years ago in London when Esther was working as a journalist. Soon after, they opened Gnomo, a hip retail store in the fashionable neighborhood of Ruzafa.

Name: Alma Andreu Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 645,835 square feet Years lived in: Renting 6 Months Alma has a sparkling personality and a sweet, minimal home, and over the years she’s worked different gigs—but writing is her passion. While working as a teacher, she began writing stories for kids. Her tales proved so popular that she decided to write professionally. Her blog is Soy la Forte and her first book is coming out next October.

Name: Raquel and Pedro Location: Ruzafa — Valencia, Spain. Size: 807 square feet Years lived in: 4 years, owned Raquel and Pedro’s Spanish home is flooded with natural light, filled with luscious green plants and is the perfect showcase for their handmade wares. They’re the creative couple who founded Canoa Lab, a “ceramic, jewelry, photography and word laboratory.

Name: Beatriz Traver Location: El Carmen — Valencia, Spain. Size: 1022 square feet Years lived in: 2 years, renting This splendid space was once owned by a Peruvian consul in the 1900s, and it features tall ceilings, gorgeous architectural details and one-of-a-kind elements — like painted-on floral designs on the bedroom floor. It’s the perfect space for an art historian like Beatriz.

Name: Marcial and Andrea Location: El Carmen — Valencia, Spain Size: 2045 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned While Marcial and Andrea’s beautiful home is a minimal and modern space today, that’s not how they found it. When they bought this home, it was in a dilapidated condition. Thankfully, Marcial’s brother runs a design firm, Boor Studio, and together he and the couple tackled the renovation.

Name: Fer and dogs Deli and Wanda Location: Paiporta — Valencia, Spain. Size: 1,937 square feet Years lived in: 5 years, owned Fer, the incredible furniture designer and owner of Lebrel Furniture, is a gifted craftsman and a master of DIY. Through his company he designs (and makes by hand) beautiful, minimal furniture, mixing different types of wood and iron in original creations. There’s really not much he can’t make.

Name: Juan Carlos, Coral, and their dog Apple Location: Manises — Valencia, Spain Size: 6,6673 square feet Years lived in: 25 years, owned In Spain, color is a big part of people’s life. The light is warm, the colors are strong, and the people are friendly and relaxed — and Juan Carlos and Coral’s Valencia home is a perfect example of this vibrant lifestyle.

Name: Alicia Peiró Location: Sagunto — Valencia, Spain, Size: 645 square feet Years lived in: Owned 11 years I don’t know if was the amazing and bright light, the warm materials or the sensation of being next to the Mediterranean sea, but this place completely stole my heart. Alicia, is an amazing photographer and her work is full of light, amazing stories and beautiful color. Her love for design is palpable in all the places of her home.

Name: Javier Ferrer, Ana Lanfranco, Mina, and Fedra Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 1,600 square feet Years lived in: 13 years; Owned Javier and Ana are the entrepreneur powerhouse duo behind two of the trendiest cafés in Valencia as well as Simple, a charming downtown decoration store that specializes in vintage and artisanal products for the home.

Name: Laura and Carlos Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 160 square meters (1722 square feet) Years lived in: 3 years Like the lovely, hand-made macrame that Laura makes for her company Nuga Laura describes her home as a”typical home from a neighborhood called “El ensanche” in Valencia, Spain,” but her home is anything but typical for design lovers.

Name: Laura Castelló Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 215 square feet (20 m2) Years lived in: Rented 3 months Laura is the kind of person that loves simple things and enjoys the little pleasures. She’s an extraordinary artist who draws sweet portraits and makes art with soft colors. The workspace she uses for creating amazing illustrations is a beautiful room filled with art, neutral colors and the most incredible tiles in the world.

Name: Ruben Sales Bellmunt Location: El Carmen — Valencia, Spain Size: 645 square feet Years lived in: 5 years; Owned Ruben is an interior designer from Valencia, creating incredible spaces through ephemeral architecture. He decided to buy a house with a lot of light; he found this incredible apartment in the center of the city. He has no doubt it was made for him. He renovated it, but respected the structure.

Name: Teresa Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 1022 square feet (95 m2) Years lived in: Owned 3 years With a big smile and friendly attitude, Teresa is the kind of person you connect with immediately. The second she opened that door, I could see a reflection of who she is in every corner of this beautiful home. This creative and colorful place was created with a lot of care. Almost all the furniture pieces are inheritances from family, but she know’s how to mix everything in an original way.

Name: Paty Martínez Location: L’eixample — Valencia, Spain Size: 2152 square feet Years lived in: Owned 35 years The ocher color is the star of this house, defining edges and warming rooms. Paty is a painter and loves art so much, you can feel that passion the second you meet her. Her strong personality shows through in her home and in her beautiful art studio, where you can see all the amazing paintings she creates.

Name: Ana, Ximo and Blas Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 936 square feet Years lived in: Owned 2 years Anna is a social educator and Ximo works at a shipping company, and together they share this charming historic home in Valencia’s shopping district. They fell in love at first sight with this home, but some work was needed. It was dark and had no sense space, with lots of tiny rooms and a really low ceiling.

Name: Laura and Roberto Location: Ciutat Vella — Valencia, Spain Size: 904 square feet Years lived in: Rented 2 years. Laura and Roberto are a couple who likes it simple. For them, “less is more” is not just a phrase, it’s the way they built their home together. They are musicians with Uke, a band that plays soft and sweet music made with heart.

Name: Sandra Location: L’eixample — Valencia, Spain. Size: 3530 square feet Years lived in: Owned 5 years Sandra’s home is full of flowers. Incredible light and high ceilings frame floral patterns, shades of blue and elaborate tiles, which in turn add modernity to a space with stunning, classic architectural details. Sandra is a fashion designer and has her own brand, Kaif. She also has a beautiful store in Valencia where she sells all the pieces she creates.

Name: Patricia, son and bunny (named Tim!) Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 1291 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, owned Patricia’s favorite color is turquoise. She loves it so much she filled her home with it, and the hue works perfectly with the beautiful light coming from windows. She’s a creative woman in love with crafts, and she traded in a previous career for her real passion; she created Saladas, a beautiful jewelry store inspired by the Mediterranean way of living.

Name: Masquespacio Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 1,076 square feet Years worked in: 3 years This incredible space has all the color. Masquespacio is an award winning creative consultancy created in 2010 by Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse. Combining the two disciplines of their founders, interior design and marketing, this Spanish design agency creates branding and interior projects through a unique approach that results in fresh and innovative concepts.

Name: Sonia Rayos and Ibán Ramón and their four kids Location: Ensanche, Valencia Size: 2238 square feet Years lived in: Owned 3 years Sonia and Ibán’s home illustrates a perfect harmony between two design disciplines. He is an award-winning graphic designer, and she’s an award-winning architect. They complement each other, and their family flat is full of functionality and great design.

Name: Adela Location: Valencia, Spain. Size: 6,458 square feet Years lived in: 16 years, owned Adela is an interior designer and the owner of a beautiful furniture store named Vilmupa in Valencia. You can choose your own fabulous furnishings or let her advise you how to design and decorate your own home. And seeing how beautifully she’s created her own home, it’s clear she’d give great advice.

Name: Maria Manrique Location: L’eixample — Valencia, Spain. Size: 1400 square feet Years lived in: 3 years, renting Maria studied Fashion Design in Barcelona, but has always had a good eye for mixing designs. The home she’s been renting in Valencia for three years wasn’t created overnight; instead, she slowly collected simple but special pieces to craft the minimal look this home has.

Name: Lucia and Jose Location: Valencia, Spain Size: 1291 square feet Years lived in: 1 year, renting Natural light bounces off of the high ceilings, patterned tile floors and other dazzling architectural features of this Spanish apartment, which serves as both the home and workspace for a creative, world-traveling couple. Lucia and Jose run Anker Prod, where they create videos for advertising and weddings.