Architect Jaime Salvá: A Home's Layout Matters More Than Any Material - and the Three Things You Must Not Skimp On When Renovating

Most renovations start with a tile catalogue and end with a photo for friends. Spanish architect Jaime Salvá, of the studio Jaime Salvá Arquitectura & Interiorismo, suggests a different starting point: a good renovation shouldn't just produce a nicer flat, but a home that's genuinely better to live in. Sustainability, in his view, isn't only a solar panel on the roof - it's also a house that won't be dated in a few years.

A house that ages well doesn't try to look new forever

His definition is short: "Design well what will stay, and leave freedom to change what will inevitably change." A house ages well when the passing of time was anticipated in the design - when it keeps serving the people who live there, when materials develop a patina instead of damage, and when it's easy to maintain and repair. Stone, wood and metal can age beautifully, if that was planned from the start. And most importantly, a home has to cope with changes in the family: new babies, teenagers leaving for university, parents getting older.

The mistakes that age a house before its time

Salvá lists them without much diplomacy. First, designing for the final photo rather than for everyday life. Second, rooms so specific that the furniture can only go one way. Third, complicated construction solutions. And fourth, difficult maintenance: installations you can't reach, glass you can't clean, too many custom-made elements, and technology that loses support within a few years. Simple, well-executed systems usually mean fewer faults and easier upkeep. How many "smart" flats, five years on, have switches nobody knows how to fix?

Layout matters more than any material

This may be the most important sentence in the conversation: a good layout has more impact on a home's longevity than any material or finish, because life changes faster than buildings. Salvá doesn't claim to know how we'll live in 20 or 30 years. That's why he recommends well-proportioned rooms, accessible installations, a clear structure, multi-purpose spaces and barrier-free movement. Working from home, technology and new family models weren't well anticipated in the past - but, he says, slack can be built into the design.

Neither walls everywhere nor a fully open plan

The architect warns against two extremes. Flats chopped up into too many small rooms age badly, but fully open spaces can age just as badly once you need privacy, sound insulation or several generations living together. His solution is degrees of connection - for example, a kitchen that opens onto the living room but can be closed off. "Flexibility doesn't mean fewer walls, it means well-thought-out partitions," he says. That's why "useful walls" matter too: where the doors and windows go determines where the furniture will stand for decades to come.

The room you see today and the one it could be tomorrow

Tomorrow, a bedroom could be an office, a children's room, a studio, a small gym or a guest room. That needs thinking about in advance: where the furniture could go, where the storage is, how well it's soundproofed, and where the power and internet sockets are. A room near a bathroom, reachable without stairs, adds extra flexibility. Sliding doors, movable walls and modular systems help, but they mustn't become an end in themselves - Salvá prefers architecture that is naturally flexible and uses mechanisms only where they genuinely add value.

Sun, shade and a through-draught before air conditioning

A home's orientation, sun protection - awnings, shutters, slats, plants - and natural ventilation matter more than the air conditioner. A good example is a passive house by Slow Studio, designed for cross-ventilation. Comfort starts before the machine, not with it.

Instagram and Pinterest trends

Salvá doesn't dismiss any trend out of hand. Wooden slats, curved walls, LED strips, continuous floors and monochrome palettes can all work in the right place. "What will probably age worst is repeating them indiscriminately," he says. His rule: keep the permanent decisions restrained, and let the easily changed layers - textiles, colours, decorations - be more playful.

A home for every stage of life

Universal design isn't just for older people: a walk-in shower level with the floor, no unnecessary steps and comfortable thresholds help children, parents with pushchairs, someone with a broken leg, and the elderly. In houses with several floors, space for a future lift can be planned from the outset. Research suggests adapting your home between the ages of 55 and 65 - while you still have the energy to organise it.

Where not to cut corners

If you're renovating, the architect singles out three places where saving money costs you dearly. The first is the design, because planning is almost always cheaper than fixing things later. The second is the building envelope and comfort: insulation, window frames, glazing and soundproofing. The third is the installations - properly sized, efficient, accessible and repairable, not necessarily the most expensive technology. A sofa can be replaced. Bad insulation - much less easily.

Above all, a renovation starts with a diagnosis: the facade, the roof, the window frames, thermal bridges, sun protection, ventilation, outside noise and the installations. If you change the windows, you have to rethink ventilation. The goal is a home that's quieter, holds a steady temperature, is energy-efficient and more pleasant to live in. How many renovations start with the new bathroom tile instead of the windows and insulation?