“We built the lower floor as if it were a stone terrace. We wanted it to effectively merge with the mountain,” explain Oro del Negro and Manuel Villaneuva, More Design’s founding partners. Ordinarily, the volumes in the zone created above this, the house’s main “public” space and the master suite on the top floor, “should be simple and parallel to the topography, and a single volume,” they add. “However, we proposed that each of the two floors be like this, but between them, they generate a rotation that follows the topography, like a fan. This rotation allows the house to appear to sink into the ground and have a more discreet presence.”

The common spaces, which comprise the living room, kitchen and dining area, are situated mainly on the middle floor and fan out from the fulcrum of the entrance hall and stairwell. The latter also functions as a light well and, with its soaring proportions and all-white finishes punctuated by slender black steel balustrades, has the pure, otherworldly feel of a contemporary monastery.

See also: An award-winning six-storey Kuala Lumpur home integrated with nature

Entering it from the busy village street means transitioning from the everyday bustle and noise into an “oasis of serenity and calm,” as Tille del Negro, director of More Decor, the interiors division of More Design, puts it. Austere, however, the house is not: its beautifully designed and curated furnishings and décor add a considered layer of luxury, and the upper floor is dedicated entirely to a spacious and airy master suite complete with its own private terrace.

With a cinema room and direct access to the pool area, the ground floor is given over to the children’s bedrooms, while the adjacent guest house has two rooms plus a gym and a small kitchen. A series of outdoor porches—perfect for enjoying the views while dining or lounging al fresco—and the sumptuous swimming pool complete the picture.

Structurally complex to build due to its steeply sloped site, the house took much patience and care to complete. The More Design team credits the skills of local master builder Miquel Morell for its successful completion. The exterior is finished in 25-30cm thick load-bearing stone, which has been worked to aesthetically coexist with the nearby walls of Son Fussimany, the area’s original ancient farmhouse.

Don’t miss: A compact Kuala Lumpur penthouse with mid-century aesthetics

The interior finishes, meanwhile, include chestnut wood ceiling beams, lime-washed walls, and floors made from smooth pigmented cement or recovered stone in the common areas and natural terracotta tiles in the children’s bedrooms. The kitchen features elements such as beautifully worked sinks made from carved local stone and old elm wood cabinetry, typical of the updated heritage ethos of More Design’s trademark meticulously detailed interiors.

When it came to furnishing the interiors, Tille says: “Our clients wanted understated elegance, but still a space that feels unique and playful.” This brief has been met with panache, with the various rooms and spaces each given a unique feel that contributes to a coherent overall aesthetic. For example, subtle touches of texture are introduced to soften and add warmth to the bedrooms while remaining entirely in keeping with the all-natural palette of materials employed in the abode’s architectural finishes.

Curvaceous and rounded shapes abound, lending a supple, almost elastic sensibility to the overall scheme, while natural materials such as glazed ceramics, pure linen, and woven grass and raffia add a further dimension of tactility. The result is a holiday retreat that revives and gently stimulates its fortunate occupants within a discreetly opulent series of indoor and outdoor spaces.

NOW READ

An eclectic black-and-white family home with charming vintage details in Singapore

A creative gentleman’s apartment in Singapore, tastefully designed with Art Deco touches

A stunning Bel Air property inspired by the glory days of old Hollywood