ISLAND RETREAT

In this Majorcan village house, Oro del Negro masterfully combined a contemporary sensibility with the traditional values of the local area

- JULIET BENNING

When property in the chic Majorca mountain village of Deia comes up for sale there is always a scramble to acquire it. And with so few houses available, an imaginative vision is often required to embed the necessities for comfortable modern living in these old, traditional homes. Oro del Negro and Manuel Villanueva of More Design became involved in one such house. Having been raised on the island, Oro, whose wife Tille contributes to the interiors wing of the firm, has an intimate working knowledge of the local vernacular style, materials and craftsmanship.

‘Property mostly passes from family to family and when it does come on the market it comes with a price tag,’ says Oro. ‘If you buy a house in Deia now, it becomes a passion project.’ His client had fallen in love with the village, which climbs up the flanks of the Teix mountain and seems to be permanently basking in a romantic rose-tinted sunlight. Famously adopted by the English poet and novelist Robert Graves, the village has become a commune for artists, musicians and writers.