Most times, we wait until we have the final photoshoot of a project before we share it on social media or here on our website. But since this project has been interrupted by Thomas’s cancer diagnosis, we don’t have the final-final photos to share with you just yet. Follow along as we show you the first part of its transformation: its kitchen and 5 bathrooms.
Sitting on one of the most privileged pieces of land in all of the Serra de Tramuntana, this mountain retreat is and has been a wonderful project for us. The clients come here to escape the hustle & bustle of their lives back in London and as you climb the curvy & twisty 1-km long driveway up into the mountains, you can see how they relax, breathe more easily and disconnect. For us, its huge property filled with olive trees, goats, sheep, lemon trees and a once-in-a-lifetime view of the Mediterranean has provided all the inspiration we needed to transform a tired old kitchen and their dark bathrooms into something soft, subtle and welcoming. Like a retreat…
When we start a project, we take into consideration a number of things including what the client has in mind but also what the history of the house and its surroundings tell us. As you can see from the photos, there are two key anchors in this beautiful house: the original dark wood beams and gorgeous unglazed clay tile floors. Neither we nor the clients wanted to change these, but of course these two elements needed to be taken into consideration. These dark colors set the stage for what other materials & hues we would choose so as to not compete or cover up, but rather be more of a jumping off point to the new design.
Here you can see how some of the bathrooms looked before we redesigned them: they were dark & used heavy materials. And nothing about these spaces said “Mediterranean” to us. The idea was to lighten them up, both in color and in spirit. So, as you can see, we chose to keep the palette neutral with warm whites and pastels. We chose handmade materials like zelig from Morocco for a soft off-white in one of the showers. And handmade cement tiles from right here in Mallorca for one of the bathroom vanity areas. Microcement was also a key element we brought in to soften things up, as this material has a smooth, velvety texture that makes each surface look brushed on.
In this project, we have been moved by the colors of the surrounding countryside, the shape and texture of its oldest olive tree, the summer breeze and its play of light. We chose taps and a countertop and furniture and baskets and all of the other details to pay homage to the ground this beautiful house sits on. We cannot wait to show you more as it continues to come together.
All photos: Pernilla Danielsson