(Second part)
José Ribes Bas, CEO of Rimontgó, and José Miguel Martínez Medina, his counterpart at Valencian design firm JMM MOBISA MARTINEZ MEDINA, enjoy the view of Valencia’s iconic architecture as they meet to discuss the true meaning and value of style, comfort, luxury and excellence.
So how does luxury manifest itself in your worlds?
JRB: In my work we deal with issues of luxury, comfort, style, quality and even status all the time, for these are exactly the factors that distinguish fine homes from housing and give them added value. A house provides shelter, but beyond that it is a home that shapes our living environment, becomes our private domain and is also the place our children grow up in.
JMM: Look at this property. Its added value is determined by its location on a spacious and conveniently located boulevard that enjoys stunning views of the iconic Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias. Another form of luxury is the quality of build, the status of a fine modern building in a desired area, the refined styling, the comfort created by a long list of modern amenities and the space afforded by a 300m2 home in the midst of a cosmopolitan city. Together, all these factors produce a lifestyle that can be described as luxurious, privileged, aspirational, etc.
It is the job of a professional like José to find a property of this kind for people in search of such a lifestyle. I, meanwhile, fill it in, designing individualised furniture pieces and complete interiors for homes like this, so that the items that inhabit such a living space are personal to the needs and preferences of the inhabitants. Given that one’s home is your personal little corner of the world this is an important luxury indeed.

Is luxury a personal sensation?
JMM: Of course it is. Luxury is the somehow inaccessible to the common of the mortals. The Oriental luxury is no longer only for the richest fortunes. Nowadays, this luxury is closer to all of us and, in a way, the personal perception is one where it doesn’t have the same sensation as it had one hundred years ago, for that very reason of having it more accessible to more people.
40 years ago, to ride a Ford Mustang across the Arizona desert was a pleasant journey with the luxury of having Air Conditioning in the car. In a few years’ time, an outer space journey around the Globe might be enjoyed by almost any one. Do remember the first cell phones that weighted over one kilogram?
JRB: Luxury is a personal sensation, but it has two sides: The inborn sense for “good” taste and style and the acquired culture along one’s life that shape your innate sense for beauty and quality.
The desire to better ourselves and our circumstances may be common to most people, but it is only a valid journey if it is a personal one. One person’s elegance is another’s vulgarity but to give style meaning it is has to be something personal, a reflection of one’s self.
I see it as a combination of the internal and the external. In creating our own vision and interpretation of style, comfort, elegance, luxury, etc, we need both to assimilate outside influences and knowledge, and discover our own preferences and tastes. It is therefore a journey in which we learn about the outside world and also get to know ourselves better. Not surprisingly, then, one’s sense of style has to be a reflection of your personality.
When one person buys a house, it is chosen so it can reflect the sense of beauty the buyer has in its interior. So first, the buyer looks outside what she or he has inside. But also there is a lot of external influences in what it will be the final result after one has merged both inborn sense of beauty and acquired culture and other people’s sense for style and beauty.
Finally, as one of our property owner said recently about her house for sale at Rimontgó: “A beautiful home changes the way you live your life”
If I understand correctly you need to have the courage of your convictions and dare to stand out as an individual. If not, you are merely consuming and following, not creating something for yourself. Those who follow trends slavishly are not adding to the process, while those who have the foresight and confidence to move ahead independently forge new ideas and stand out as individuals.
This manifests itself not only in issues of style and taste but in most matters in life. The current times are an especially poignant moment during which those with enterprise and daring stand to make their fortune, be it in financial or other terms. There are people who are establishing new ventures, moving on the real estate market, investing shrewdly and following their dreams exactly at a time when others live in fear. While not all will succeed, it is those with the ambition and enthusiasm to move forward now who will be tomorrow’s success stories.
Some of the pictures in this post and the location of the interview belong to these properties:
Home for sale in Sedaví, Valencia
Luxury apartment for sale in Valencia
Click to browse Rimontgó’s luxury real estate section.









