of paris Atelier du Pont have teamed up with Menorca-based Aru Arquitectura to transform a pair of dilapidated old farm buildings into one summer house With a stunning mix of colors and textures.
Estancia San José is a mother and daughter holiday home set amidst 76 hectares of Menorcan countryside.
The renovation involved converting a traditional stone barn and an adjacent farmhouse.
The result is a four-bedroom home that combines a rustic aesthetic and contemporary details including arched doors and an acid-yellow kitchen.
“It was in complete ruins and we brought it back to life,” he said Atelier du PontFounders, Anne-Cécile Comar and Philippe Croisier.
“We preserved the character of both buildings but re-imagined the whole space,” he told Dezeen.
The owners approached Comer & Croisier after seeing the design of the Menorcan hotel Son Blanc, which also involved converting a former farm building.
Both mother and daughter have spent most of their lives traveling around the world. They wanted to create a base where they could spend their holidays together.
Interested in working with a local partner, Komar and Croisier were invited Aru Arquitectura To cooperate.
Their design is based on the traditional materials and craft techniques of the Balearic Islands, while also referencing some of the other places its owners have called home, including Africa, the Middle East, and Patagonia.
“The owners gave us carte blanche to imagine the interior concept and different environments in keeping with the spirit of the place,” Komar and Croisier explained.
“We were keen to pay homage to Minorcan savoir-faire and incorporate distinctive elements such as different types of rendering, textures and wall finishes,” he said.
In the new layout, the former barn becomes a light-filled living space with bedrooms behind.
This barn originally had only one window, an arched door that was used to bring animals in and out.
The architects added a series of matching openings to the rest of the building, including pivoting doors.
In the old house, three small rooms were opened up to create a spacious kitchen.
The property also includes a hammam and a large outdoor swimming pool.
Natural materials and textures are present throughout, from the rough stone walls of the old barn to the terracotta bricks that provide the interior floors and outdoor patio.
Much of the material palette takes cues from existing colors and details – for example, the acid-yellow tiles in the kitchen reference the faded yellow ceiling of one of the older rooms.
Other key details include Iroko wood joinery, hand-woven headboards and custom-designed bedside tables and side tables in terracotta and rope.
“The work of the hand is also always present and intentionally left visible,” Komar and Croisier said.
Menorca is less established as a tourist destination than the two larger Balearic islands, Majorca and Ibiza, but its popularity has since been increasing. Major art gallery Hauser & Wirth opened an outpost here,
Other recently built homes here include shift house And Bundle Houseboth by locally based Nomo Studios, and min casa eDesigned by Marina Senbre.
The owners of Estancia San Jose plan to rent out their home to vacationers when they are not using it.
photography is by maria missaglia,
