Can Valls
Munarq
YEAR
2014
LOCATION
Felanitx, Spain
TYPE
Residential › Private House
Tasked with creating a painting studio for an artist in rural Mallorca, we have overhauled a crumbling farmhouse and added a stone-walled extension.
Her main requirements were for two large spaces – a exhibition gallery and a workshop – as well as high ceilings, natural north light, and some areas of visual privacy where she can work undisturbed.
We have chosen to preserve and extend the existing structure, but to rework the interior to create more light and visibility.
The old building was in a bad condition and was overgrown with plants, and numerous repairs had to be made to make it usable again.
Firstly, the walls of the building were stripped back to their construction materials – a mix of earth and straw that had previously been concealed behind layers of render.
An extension was then added to create an L-shaped plan with a total area of 230 square metres.
The new wing features dry stone walls, built using blocks of different shapes and sizes.
Inside, a poured concrete floor was added across both of the building’s two storeys.
Internal walls were re-plastered and painted white, contrasting with the exposed wooden ceiling beams and staircase treads.
A glazed entrance sits at the junction between the two blocks, providing access to the gallery on one side and the studio on the other.
There is also a second entrance at the end of the extension that allows the artist to bring fresh air through the building.
A courtyard is framed between the two wings. Its central feature is a well, which can be used to maintain the surrounding garden, including a prickly pear plant at the site’s entrance.
It was very cheap for a reform – unpretentious but with style and respect for the place and existing construction.
