High in Mallorca’s Serra de Tramuntana, where terraced hillsides tumble toward the Mediterranean, Bergman Design House has completed a transformation that feels less like a renovation and more like a homecoming. The London based studio, led by Marie Soliman and Albin Berglund, has reimagined a 4,000 square foot family retreat as a tactile, jewel toned sanctuary for a Swiss family of four, unfolding across four en suite bedrooms and open plan living spaces that spill onto panoramic terraces.
Originally built in the early 2000s, the finca has been reborn through a dialogue between traditional Mallorcan monastic architecture and the Japanese principle of wabi sabi, an embrace of imperfection, tactility and the passage of time. “The home itself was the muse,” says Soliman. “The play of light and shadow, the whisper of the sea in the distance, the age old trees dotting the hillside, all of it guided the palette and textures.”
That landscape led palette, sun bleached neutrals, earthy terracotta, olive green and marine blue, runs throughout the home, while natural plaster, hand finished stone, linen and reclaimed wood lend the interiors a lived in warmth. Each bathroom becomes its own jewel box, with richly veined stone in emerald, ochre and blush pink offering a deliberate counterpoint to the calm of the bedrooms.
At the heart of the home, a sculptural coral inspired fireplace wall anchors the central living and dining area, its woven and braided detailing echoed in the kitchen’s hand finished cabinetry and sculptural pendant lighting.
The powder room, Soliman’s own favourite space, is wrapped floor to ceiling in vividly veined pink stone, its bespoke mirror crowned with a lapis lazuli detail. Elsewhere, a guest suite wrapped in a panoramic garden mural, a blush toned “Hers” bedroom, a turquoise stoned “His” bathroom and a master suite of zen neutrals and sculpted wood each stake out their own quiet drama.
The transformation drew on an international roster of collaborators: muralists Iksel, stone specialist Marco Pacitti, lighting house Apparatus, hardware brand Samuel Heath, textile houses Dedar, Perennials, Elitis and Altfield, furniture from Porto Romana and Invisible Collection, rugs from Nordic Knots and Colbourns, linens and embroidery from Oliveri, and DKT Art, responsible for that sculptural fireplace wall.
For the family who commissioned it, the result speaks for itself. “It feels like home, but very different to our home in Switzerland,” says the client. “It’s calm, it’s zen, just the perfect vibe for a summer home.” Two years in the making, the project also forged a close bond with Soliman, whom the client praises for her willingness to think outside the box and bring daring ideas to every room.
