Is it possible for a mountain home in central Spain, far from the sea, to transport its residents to the energy of a lazy sunny day on the Mediterranean? Yes, and this house with its innovative and surprising design, created practically from scratch by Estudio Reciente is irrefutable evidence that it is possible to pull off that feat.
Designed to be a weekend house for a young couple with two children, the house was inspired by 1950s summer homes in the town of Cadaqués, on Spain’s Costa Brava. “The goal was to create a warm and welcoming home where, in addition to recreating a subtle idea of what we understand as ‘Mediterranean,’ color would be the other protagonist,” Carlos Tomás, the head of Estudio Reciente explains. The architect had two challenges when it came to designing the house. “The owners wanted a place both to host friends and also to host artistic presentations on a regular basis,” he adds. “And color would provide the common thread.”
The project began with the rehabilitation of a 1,292-square-foot, one-story house located at the foot of Mount Abantos, in the town of San Lorenzo del Escorial. The intervention respected the exterior structure of the space “for two reasons, firstly, because it is an area with special regulations due to its proximity to the Escorial [the enormous 16th-century monastery constructed by King Philip II], and secondly, because the solid 31-inch thick stone walls and the roof were in good condition.” But the interior, due to the poor construction of the original floors and the dilapidated state of the columns and the wooden framework, was a complete shell, providing an opportunity to completely reimagine the floor plan.
If there is one element of the house that is most memorable, it is undoubtedly the sculptural blue staircase that evokes the Mediterranean, a hue that runs throughout the home. The thick stone walls that Carlos described are painted white, and their textured and rough surfaces are typical of a certain Mediterranean style.
