Next to the steps of the Church Square in Deià (Mallorca) stands Ca S’Església, a house steeped in legend and silence. Once known by Robert Graves as “the haunted house of Deià,” it remained abandoned for decades: stone walls, ruined floors, collapsed ceilings—waiting for someone to listen. When Moredesign took it on, all that remained were four stone walls and a hole in the ground where a bathroom had once been.
What Moredesign did was not simply a restoration, but a resurrection: the house was stripped back to its rock foundations and carefully reimagined with traditional lime mortars; ancient beams were salvaged; fittings crafted by local artisans were added; handmade olive wood doors; reclaimed stone floors—materials and techniques that speak of memory, authenticity, and the passage of time. All this was adapted with care to the present: underfloor heating throughout, air conditioning in the bedrooms (except on the naturally ventilated ground floor), fiber optic internet—comfort without betraying the authenticity of Mallorcan style.
A quiet house bathed in light
The restored home covers around 147 m², with two bedrooms, though Moredesign has anticipated the possibility of adding a third bedroom and a second bathroom without altering its essence.
Perched at the top of the village, the house is both tranquil and bathed in light; sheltered from the bustle, yet only steps away from the square and the life of the village. Here, every open door to the cobbled street, every window filtering the light, every piece of stone or wood feels like an echo of what has been lived.
A handmade olive wood door opens onto a luminous courtyard, framed by native plants and a softly curving pergola. The dining room connects directly with the pedestrian cobbled street, allowing summer dinners to spill out into the fresh evening air: the murmur of the wind, neighbors strolling by, children playing just across the threshold—an architecture that invites the enjoyment of unhurried time.
A refuge sheltered by history
The walls breathe: thick, noble lime mortar. Reclaimed 16th-century stone fragments underfoot, artisanal brass fittings, furniture crafted from old or salvaged wood. Every detail has been considered: texture, light, soft reflections, calm shadows.
Beyond comfort, what stands out is the atmosphere: calm, connection, belonging. A refuge sheltered by history, yet also a space to live, to create, to be part of something larger. Thanks to its commercial license, this house is not only a home but also a studio, workshop, and place of creative encounter. It is currently used as Moredesign’s studio, as can be seen in the photographs of several rooms.
Project: Ca S’Església.
Location: Deià (Mallorca)
Architecture & Interior Design: More Design.
Surface area: 147 m2.
Photography: Charles Marlow & Bros.
Moredesign
In the heart of Deià (Mallorca), between mountains and sea, Moredesign was born in 2011—a studio that has become a singular voice of the contemporary Mediterranean. Founded by Madrid-born architect Manuel Villanueva and German-American designer Oro del Negro, the atelier is nourished by a certainty: architecture is not only construction, but an act of memory, emotion and belonging.
From the beginning, Moredesign set out to recover the essence of the vernacular. Their projects intertwine the language of stone and lime, the wisdom of the craftsman and the protective shadow of the landscape. Each work is a dialogue between tradition and modernity, a sensitive interpretation of place that seeks to create spaces that are habitable, serene and timeless. Private residences, hotels, restaurants or gardens—every intervention is conceived as a complete universe, where architecture, interiors and landscape merge into a single narrative.
Today the studio brings together a multidisciplinary team based in Mallorca and Ibiza, extending its footprint beyond the islands while preserving the Mediterranean roots that define them. They have completed projects in Sicily, Brazil, Mexico and the Bahamas, as well as across the Balearic Islands. Their growth has never been quantitative, but qualitative: adding perspectives, deepening the relationship with nature, preserving what deserves to be remembered and projecting it into the future.
Manuel Villanueva
Born in Madrid in 1977, Manuel Villanueva trained in architecture with a universal vocation. He worked alongside renowned architects such as Jean Nouvel, Herzog & de Meuron and OMA—experiences that offered him a cosmopolitan vision before putting down roots in Mallorca. At Moredesign he serves as director of architecture, driven by a passion: to explore how local materials, light and climate can shape an architecture that shelters and moves. His work seeks the essential—that constructive truth which transcends trends and becomes a refuge.
Oro del Negro
Also born in 1977, Oro del Negro grew up between cultures, yet found in Mallorca his spiritual homeland. A designer by training and a craftsman by sensibility, he leads Moredesign’s design direction with an eye that combines intuition, memory and skill. His fascination with traditional techniques, handmade objects and the imperfections that reveal authenticity permeates each project. For Oro, design is a way of telling stories that dwell in matter—a bridge between the ancestral and the contemporary.
More Design
Carrer de Guasp 70
07007 Palma de Mallorca
info@moredesign.es
www.moredesign.es
Project by More Design
