Finca Zaytoun

The land falls toward the valley. The house settles into it: lime walls, clay roofs, a garden at its feet. The brief was short: a Spanish house, walls of lime and straw, an olive tree, and rooms that feel like home.

The drive circles an old olive tree and a stone fountain. Ahead, a single arched door of black steel and glass rises the full height of the house.

Only three materials: lime trowelled by hand with straw on the walls, clay barrel tiles on every roof, and slim black steel frames set deep in every arch.

The hall rises two storeys. Afternoon sun crosses the stone floor and climbs the lime walls. Inside, the same materials as outside: lime, stone, oak, linen and clay.

The garden sits level with the living rooms, and the basement opens to the lower road. On the ground floor the living rooms face the garden with the bedrooms behind; the first floor is a home of its own with a terrace; the roof holds a study, a gym and terraces with a view.