Casa Sóller

Terraces worth protecting

Our first house in Spain sits on a slope of abandoned terraces above the bay of Sóller, among lemon and olive trees. The dry-stone walls, several centuries old, were the most beautiful thing on the site — and the planning rules rightly protected them.

Three houses instead of one

Instead of one large house we designed three smaller stone volumes, each resting on its own terrace: living rooms at the top, bedrooms in the middle, a guest house and pool below. Outdoor stairs and paths link them, so moving through the house means walking through the garden.

The walls are built in marès, the island’s golden sandstone, by local masons who repaired the old terraces at the same time. Inside, lime plaster is shaped into niches, benches and basins — a house carved rather than furnished.