Country House Retreat  

Rehabilitation of a 500-year-old stone house into a contemporary writer’s retreat

Status: Completed

Location: Spain

Scope of works: Extensions, and full deep refurbishment.  

Set within the quiet landscape of a small village in Spain, this country house retreat is a carefully crafted rehabilitation of a derelict building with more than 500 years of history. Designed as a refined rural home for a writer, the project brings together heritage, craftsmanship and contemporary architecture in a powerful and highly atmospheric composition.

This is a project defined by contrast and continuity. Ancient stone walls, original wood beams and carved stone stairs coexist with finely detailed contemporary insertions, creating an interior landscape where old and new are held in deliberate balance. The result is neither rustic nostalgia nor abstract minimalism, but a sophisticated synthesis of both.

The architecture reveals the value of rehabilitation through restraint. Existing stone surfaces bring permanence, texture and weight. New elements introduce lightness, order and spatial fluidity. Every intervention is designed to heighten the presence of the original building while establishing a distinctly contemporary way of living within it.

Particular attention is given to the dialogue between materials. Weathered stone, aged timber and raw structural memory are set against elegant new steelwork, bespoke joinery and carefully controlled natural light. This layered material palette gives the house its quiet richness, timeless character and strong sense of place.

Throughout the interiors, the design is guided by precision and calm. The architectural language remains quiet and assured, allowing the existing structure to retain its authority. Exposed timber beams carry the memory of the former building. Thick masonry walls anchor the house in its rural Spanish setting. New insertions are clean-lined and unapologetically contemporary, yet always respectful of the building’s age and material depth.

Light is used with care to animate the old structure. Natural light moves softly across stone walls, reveals the grain and texture of the retained beams, and enhances the sculptural quality of the new interventions. This relationship between light and material creates interiors that feel serene, tactile and quietly luxurious.

At the centre of the project is the sculptural steel library stair, one of the defining architectural features of the house. Conceived as both staircase and bookcase, it operates as a single inhabitable object: part circulation, part storage and part architectural sculpture. Set against the historic stone fabric, it becomes a striking focal point within the interior.

This bespoke stair-library captures the spirit of the house. Created for a writer, it transforms books into an integral part of the architecture. The gesture is functional, intellectual and spatially dramatic, giving the home a deeply personal identity while reinforcing its atmosphere of retreat, reflection and creative solitude.

The project stands as a strong example of heritage rehabilitation in Spain. It demonstrates how a ruined village house can be reimagined as a contemporary country retreat without losing its authenticity. Rather than imitate the past, the architecture gives it new life by preserving what matters, removing what no longer serves, and introducing a new layer of clarity, craftsmanship and permanence.

As a work of rural architecture, the house is deeply rooted in place. Its preserved stone envelope connects it to the history of the village and the wider tradition of Spanish vernacular construction. At the same time, the new architectural interventions position it firmly in the present, offering a sophisticated model of adaptive reuse and contemporary living.

This country house retreat is ultimately about transformation through precision. It is about allowing a historic structure to remain legible while creating spaces of warmth, elegance and purpose. It is about the coexistence of ruin and renewal, intimacy and scale, memory and invention.

We are always delighted to hear from you and to speak about your project