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Designed by architecture studio Atelier du Pont, the beautiful staircase in off-white polished concrete climbs to the first floor, where the living room, huge terrace and three spacious bedrooms are located. The wooden bench is from Atmosphère d’Ailleurs. -
In the entrance hall, a 1950s rattan-and-bamboo unit thrifted at Paris’s Saint-Ouen market holds woven bread baskets that were brought back from Morocco, a green ceramic cactus vase, and the entire family’s straw hats. -
In the living room on the first floor, armchairs by Sergio Rodrigues flank brass coffee tables by 101 Copenhagen, and Majorcan vases adorn the bamboo cabinet inlaid with ceramic tile, sourced at Marché Paul Bert Serpette. -
With its wide arches lined with bougainvillea, the terrace overlooks a panorama that stretches to the sea. The MBR 03 coffee table is by Michel Boyer for Rouve, and the yellow lacquered rattan chair is from Marché Paul Bert Serpette in Saint-Ouen. -
In the pool house, built-in masonry daybeds offer a space to relax under a steel-and-reed pergola, while an outdoor kitchen is perfect for cooking light meals. -
On the west-facing terrace, an outdoor dining area features a wooden table and Week-end garden chairs, designed by Studio BrichetZiegler for Petite Friture. -
The whitewashed home has retained its Menorcan spirit. -
The swimming pool is surrounded by olive trees and magnificent umbrella pines. -
For the eclectic kitchen, Atelier du Pont designed an oak-topped table, with a base clad in cement tile. The chairs were purchased at Marché Paul Bert Serpette in Saint-Ouen. -
In the bedrooms, the built-in masonry beds – designed by the architects – are inspired by those found in traditional Balearic houses. -
In the bedrooms, the built-in masonry beds – designed by the architects – are inspired by those found in traditional Balearic houses. -
Adjacent terraces offer views of the Mediterranean. -
In the bedrooms, the built-in masonry beds – designed by the architects – are inspired by those found in traditional Balearic houses. -
In one of the en suite bathrooms, a stone-carved basin made by local craftsmen sits on a concrete vanity unit.
WORDS & PRODUCTION Laurence Dougier PHOTOS Nicolas Mathéus
Opening to a wild landscape with the sea as its horizon, this Spanish home is about simplicity, peace and memorable times spent with family and friends.
Location, they say, is everything – and “they” would certainly give this one the thumbs-up. With the sea on the horizon, and framed by dry-stone walls softened by pines, olive trees and palms, this idyllic four-hectare estate is situated on Menorca – one of Spain’s Balearic Islands clustered in the Mediterranean.
Known for its sandy beaches, warm waters and megalithic stone monuments, as well as a population that loves a good music fest (including the International Organ Festival) and its unique wine-based gin, Menorca is certainly one of the ideal places on the planet to build a family getaway. This property, originally a farmhouse, was once owned by a family from Barcelona, who had the temerity to divide it into three separate flats. Thankfully, the beautiful home has now been remodelled and restored by its new owners, who proved to be far more sympathetic to its origins.
READ MORE: Ardéche Home
Somewhat ironically, behind this return to glory is a Parisian family, who entrusted the job to the architects and interior designers at Atelier du Pont. The studio entirely redesigned the volumes, the flow and the fittings, and worked closely with decorator Agnès Comar to select furniture for the interiors. “Small rooms were lined up one after another – like the layout of an ocean liner,” recalls architect Anne-Cécile Comar of Atelier du Pont. “We redesigned everything, and broke it down to accommodate a joyful tribe.”
Entry into the home is via a large hall that extends upwards over two levels beneath an exposed roof structure. Off here are seven bedrooms that stretch between the garden level and the first floor, named after Snow White’s dwarfs, and each with its own en suite bathroom. The lounge is on the first floor, which allows for superb panoramic views over the sea and the olive groves. Below, the kitchen is a lively room, open on either side to welcoming spaces furnished with large tables for family meals, and to accommodate the many friends who stop by.
Atelier du Pont ensured that much of the home – although freed from the weight of shadows and wrapped in whiteness – retained some of the Menorcan architectural tradition of making the windows relatively small. It’s a common characteristic of Mediterranean houses built to withstand hot summers, with the small windows helping to keep the shadowed interiors cool. The only departure from this rule is in the kitchen, where big doors allow the sun to stream in, and open out onto the garden to both the east and the west.
Used as a holiday home by its Parisian owners, the home’s outdoor spaces enable summertime inside-outside living. From a dining area beneath an olive tree and the summer lounge under the pergola laden with bougainvillea, you can see the sea, and the dirt road that winds its way towards the crystal-clear water. More than just a perfect location, it’s a place to immerse yourself in relaxed bliss and serenity.
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