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.

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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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A boldly conceived Spanish holiday home situated on the mountains close to the historic town of Valldemossa blends an urbanely contemporary sensibility with elemental ease.

On the one side lies a forest of Mallorcan holm oak trees. On the other, a sea view in which, on most days, the division between the Mediterranean and the sky becomes blurred into a single vista of blue. And in between is this arresting, almost sculptural, stone-clad house, which combines the relaxed simplicity of holidays with an elemental, otherworldly quality that is difficult to define, but extremely easy to admire.

Situated between Valldemossa and Deià on the scenic west coast of the island of Mallorca, this home may occupy a spectacular position, but the structure has not always been a match for its site. Originally built in the 19th century and extended during the 20th, by the 1990s it was burdened by ill-conceived renovations, and in a poor state when purchased by its present owners.

Architect Manuel Villanueva of Mallorca-based More Design was the lead designer on the renovation project that followed, taking on a home that was not merely unsightly but practically collapsing, and legally out of code.And because the island’s strict building codes mean a house cannot be completely demolished and a new structure built on the site, More Design had to come up with an architectural solution that incorporated the existing structure while conforming to regulations – and satisfying the clients’ brief.

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“The solution was to introduce a new structure within the existing building, then open up some spaces and demolish others,” says Manuel. The result is a home that is the same in terms of volume but an entirely different interior space. “It was also carefully reconnected to the surrounding landscape in a way that reduced its environmental impact,” he adds.

In terms of its design aesthetic, the new home was conceived as a dialogue between extremes: the mountain side, with its prevailing green, brown and orange tones, stone and oaks; and the other side, which is all about shades of blue and the breathtaking, unobstructed view of the Mediterranean. The site is very steep, so you enter the house on its top level – where the spectacular swimming pool area is also located – then walk down through it into the rest of the spaces, which also provide access to the lower sections of the landscaped garden.

The house belongs to two families who regularly spend their holidays there, and features eight en suite bedrooms anchored by an almost gallery-like central living area. More Design conceived the house with two differentiated sleeping quarters – one for each family – with one situated across the top floors and the other on the lowest level. The middle portion, which features all the common areas, is shared, with the double-volume central space forming an especially lovely part of the home. Like many successful design elements, that double-volume space does double duty in terms of aesthetics and its structural function. Natural morning light, coming from the mountain side at the rear of the house, beams right through into the lower levels from the patio windows and openings on the top level.

A key component of the home’s elemental appeal is its striking stone-clad façade, which the More Design team spent much time working on. The stone is laid with attention to varying the depth of the façade, so it already has “the visual appearance of the passage of time embedded in its skin,” says Manuel.

“This house,” he says, “is for a person who looks for a quiet location and enjoys spending time watching boats and time go by – but it also has a contemporary approach to art and architecture.” It’s also proof positive that a holiday home can be a sophisticated space that nevertheless enables its occupants to completely relax when they spend time there.

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Resa San Mamés student accommodation by Valencia-based creative studio Masquespacio features playful colour-blocked interiors that encourage creativity by allowing students to determine how spaces are used.

Created with university students in my mind, the brief sought a space that centres sharing experiences as a community. Located in Bilbao, Spain the 1850 sqm building comprises studios for 351 residents and areas for studying, socialising, meeting and dining.

All spaces – including the kitchen, dining room, study rooms, leisure rooms, gym and terrace – feature free-flowing, open-plan design dressed in an enlivening harmony of greens, pinks, yellows, lavenders and soothing blues. Reconfigurable furnishings afford residents the opportunity to make spaces work for them.

Acoustic glass walls in study areas afford silence, but can also be opened up to connect with an adjacent lounge. Yellow-accented wooden furniture on wheels, in the lavender-splashed kitchen, encourages reorganisation. Blue-painted bricks add texture to formal study spaces where red velvet curtains on circular tracks, around group study tables, allow for additional privacy.

The green dining space juxtaposed by millennial pink seating features oversized steps that make for an amphitheatre-like  arrangement, ideal for gatherings. Outside, the terrace features a continuation of the colour-blocks theme by placing green picnic tables within a green-zoned area and allowing different shades of blue to signal other areas of seating.

Love this space? Check out this colourful Tokyo home by Kochi Architect’s Studio.

h/t: dezeen.com

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Behold functional simplicity in the purest of forms: this contemporary family home by Madrid-based architectural studio Mecanismo is one part natural light and two parts personality.

Offering a family of four a spacious abode of 500 m² – complete with an attic, office and garden – this gem was designed to take ultimate advantage of the wondrous amounts of natural light. The use of earthy materials exude ageless grace and are cleverly combined to give the home a one-of-a-kind personality.

The ground floor offers a hall, living, and dining area, each with varying atmospheres. Although each space functions independently, they are interconnected by a special centre known as the “bubble” of the home. The bubble is a unique structure crafted entirely from oak wood. Inside the bubble is a wardrobe, cupboard and well-stocked wine cellar. A highly functional service area is also located on this floor and can be easily accessed from the garage, street, extra bedroom, kitchen and laundry room. The children’s bedrooms are within Krion capsules and feature an oval-like continued curvature. Each child’s room and bathroom features colours unique to their personal taste.

The attic is secluded by a slat system that offers privacy and a naturally-lit office within which a central working table is illuminated by a built-in steel lamp. The purposefully organised garden features a small prairie where a playhouse offers the children endless hours of play.

See more Mecanismo projects at mecanismo.org.

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