A reimagining and wholesale refurbishment of a village house built at the turn of the century, this residence by architects Anna and Eugeni Bach expands the original structure with a series of geometric additions and insertions. The result remains in keeping with the sober restraint of this small, upscale village near Girona, in Spain’s north-eastern corner, whilst adding a layer of materiality and functionalism that better serves the owners.
Explore this contemporary village house in Spain
The House in Fonolleres occupies a prominent site on the edge of the village, bounded on three sides by roads with a south-facing garden. This part of the house underwent the largest alterations, with a new full-width extension and veranda, above which is a large terrace. Another extension was made on the front façade to create a more generous entrance and an internal garage that was better suited to the size of modern cars.
Additional smaller interventions take the shape of the five bespoke circular canopies on the terrace, a new circular pergola covering the outdoor kitchen table and a triangular notch that cuts into the floorplan at master bedroom level to create what the architects call a ‘studiolo’ (an Italian Renaissance term for a compact study room). Tucked in behind the bedhead and flanked by a bookcase that spans two storeys, this niche is just one of idiosyncratic design touches that abound throughout the house.
The Barcelona-based architects worked alongside their colleagues Roger Molas and Nuria Gómez on a project that feels like it has evolved over time, much like many of the other houses in the village. Each of the new additions appears to stand alone as a discrete object, thanks in part to its formal, geometric design, with a unifying palette of natural materials.
Many of the additions are guided by the desire to expand the range of ‘shade and shelter’ available to the occupants, making the house more liveable all year round. Plaster, timber and ceramic finishes have been carefully chosen to present a warm, common language and earthy palette.
Shade is carefully placed according to function; planting on the circular pergola will eventually screen the breakfast table from the morning summer sun, while the built-in barbeque is shaded at midday.
Other quirky details reveal themselves through familiarity, from the hidden studiolo to the shallow end of the pool shaded by the new covered seating area. Throughout the 350 sq m house the rooms are modestly scaled, kept anchored by straightforward materials and meticulously crafted details, from the precision of the roof beams to the notched stone anchors for the timber columns.
