Living In a 500-Year Old Church & Designing With A Skater’s Eye
Just outside of Bilbao, in a sleepy Spanish town of Sopuerta, stands the home of creative director and skater Tas Careaga. It’s not just any home, but a rebuilt ruin of a 500-year old abandoned church, secretly hidden from view amongst forest-covered mountains.
Careaga’s background in skateboarding and multimedia design equipped him with a conceptual eye and a unique approach to interiors. Upon finding the historical property, he made it a priority to maintain its original essence, preserving its arched structure, ceremonial feel and even layers of paint. To introduce an interesting contrast, he then filled the space with elements of modernity, creating an effect which blurs the aesthetic concept of time.
THE SKATEROOM chats with Tas about the vision behind his world famous church-home, the link between art and skate, and how the culture has shaped him creatively.
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Tas Careaga. I’m the creative director at Taslab and I love to rebuild ruins.
Your creative background is very varied, from photography to multimedia design. How did you find your path?
I’ve been surrounded by creative people my whole life - in my family, at the skatepark… so I’ve had a lot of inspiration early on. I started as a web developer but, after that, I did a lot of multimedia installations, and they were always at events, so then I learned how to produce events! Whilst doing that, I began to understand how spaces work and how people feel inside them. Now, I always try to apply that knowledge to architectural design.
You were born in Caracas but grew up in Bilbao. How did those two environments shape your personality and creativity?
My family returned to Spain when I was only a couple months old, so I don’t have any memories of Venezuela… However, I traveled a lot around Europe thanks to skateboarding, so I think this is where I took inspiration from other countries.
When did you start skateboarding?
I always had a skate home. My brother is a skateboarder so I would spend whole days around skateparks and on skateboards. I was not a professional - I had some sponsors and went to a few championships, but I always skated for fun. We traveled around Europe two or three times a year, and in order to pay for everything, I sold boards and apparel. We slept on the streets or in the car, so we didn’t need a lot of money. I still skate every week.
How has skate culture shaped you throughout your life?
Skateboarding has always been an integral part of my life. Nowadays, I don’t skate as much as I’d like, but it is always on my mind. It influences the way I plan my life and how I think of spaces. Something related to skateboarding is always hanging on my walls.
How did you find the church which became your home? What is the story behind the building?
I found it on the internet! Sopuerta was a mining town, so when the mines were shut down everyone left… The church was abandoned in the late 70’s and the roof collapsed in the early 2000’s.
What was the vision behind the re-design? How was the process and what interior style were you going for?
The most important thing was to preserve the essence of the church, so I tried to do something with a lot of contrast, keeping the old old and the new, very new. For the furniture, art and interior design it was important to use pieces that didn’t enter into conflict with the old walls, as the building is the most important thing - everything else has to come after.
You did an amazing job of preserving the historical charm and energy of the place, while also infusing it with your own personality. How did you achieve this balance?
Through letting the old building speak and working with what was already inside it. Not tearing anything down but rather preserving the dome and the old walls with layers of a 500-year old history and paint. Even the chunks of falling stone from the remaining arches were preserved… There’s a mix of contrast yet harmony between them.
How would you describe the energy of this place now? What is it like living in a space with so much history? It must hold a lot of secrets.
It's super important to understand the surroundings of the church, as it is in the middle of nowhere, in the mountains surrounded by a forest, so it seems like you are completely alone. It does feel from the outside like a secretive place, as the outwards façade is a thick stone wall. But, once inside, you can feel the history of the building unfold as you observe the space, those paintings, the craftsmanship, the stones… I’m not a religious guy but I wanted to respect the building for the hundreds of people that came here seeking hope during all those years, and the ceremonial milestones so many families celebrated here.
What is your current favorite design piece?
My great-grandma's cupboard. It’s a solid ebony piece commissioned for a property they had in Cuba and brought back to Spain along with a matching table and chairs.
You run a creative studio which also has incredible interiors. Could you tell us a bit about its unique design?
In the studio, I wanted the opposite of the church, so I tried to be minimalistic. The most important elements are the light (it's on the top floor of a building with windows on all sides) and the plants. I wanted to bring a piece of the countryside with me to the center of the city, and my friends always tell me that Taslab is the lung of Bilbao.
What is the difference in approach when designing spaces for living vs. spaces for working?
I don’t know when I’m working and when I’m ‘living’ anymore, as in my case they are quite similar and often overlap. I really like to have friends around, meet new people, plan new ventures, cook together, etc…so I really appreciate open spaces in general. As I mentioned before, I started understanding spaces when designing events, so for me it’s vital to have spaces that can be transformed should the need arise.
Do you see a link between skate and art?
Skateboarding has changed a lot in recent years. I don’t know if skater kids today are like us when we were their age. When I was a kid, skating was for misfits and people thinking outside the box, so in the skatepark we were always around musicians, photographers, artists… People hanging around skateparks were looked down upon as a bad influence (at least here in Spain).
I think, in terms of people, it's still a little bit like that, just more mainstream. Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying that skateboarding has lost its soul. I don’t know if it's better now or 25 years ago. I just think that, when I was a kid, skate culture and art were inevitably linked, whereas today you can choose to be part of the culture, or to just be an athlete. And that’s cool!
