An Off-the-Grid Hut in Mallorca Turned Dream Retreat
Photography by Tomeu Canvellas,
courtesy of Mariana de Delás
Calling all tiny house fans, outbuilding enthusiasts, and aspiring escapists. The Spanish island of Mallorca, architect Mariana de Delás tells us, is dotted with stone sheds dating from the mid-19th century and now mostly abandoned. Mariana runs her own design studio, and when all the firm’s work went remote not so long ago, she and a neighbor friend in Mallorca turned one of these hideouts, set in an old stone quarry, into a makeover project.
The exercise in this particular hideout was to recuperate and emphasize the existing structure while optimizing the inside space,” says Mariana.
“The main architectural intervention was the insertion of a bright red bow window that frames the landscape."
Thanks to the new window, the interior has natural light and a cross breeze.
Mariana also used Mallorcan sandstone to build a daybed cushioned with local fabrics and fitted with metal storage bins.
The fireplace is original—”it was made for cooking the rabbits that were hunted; fireplaces are always the centerpiece of these retreats.”
The new window is framed in wood and overlooks a pine forest and the old quarry.
Red accents on whitewashed walls lend the hideout a fresh, cohesive look.