A QUIET PLACE

The beauty of this restored Mallorcan villa is its stillness, both inside and out - and it makes whoever comes to visit completely relaxed

-  JULIET BENNING

The English poet and novelist Robert Graves once described the Mallorcan village of Deià as a place where 'perfect tranquillity reigns.

He came to recover after fighting in the First World War and never left. Over the years, the picturesque region has continued to attract a celebrity following, from Kate Moss to The Rolling Stones and Richard Branson. In accordance with such endorsements, houses in Deià are now incredibly hard to source and those that are available are often in need of a substantial restoration effort.

Architect Manuel Villanueva and designer Oro del Negro of Moredesign specialise in the building and restoration of traditional Mallorcan architecture and have revived many properties in the area surrounding Deià. 'Property mostly passes from family to family and when it does come on the market it comes with a price tag,' Oro explains. 'If you buy a house in Deià now, it has to become a passion project.'