Living and seeing the history of the house: the renovation maintains its essence and changes its uses

The renovation of this house in the center of Mahón is a piecemeal project carried out over time, as are many projects that are carried out as needs arise and, above all, at the pace often dictated by possibilities. This is how Menorcan architect Emma Martí approached the renovation of a party-walled building she and her partner purchased, planning to give it all the uses their lives required. In fact, as she points out, the purchase of the house could only be undertaken if it met the three main needs they had in this regard at the time: it had to be the family home, but it also had to house her architecture studio and her partner's osteopathy practice. This would offset the investment in a house located in the first growth outside the walls of Mahón and which, despite originating in the 18th century, was never a stately or bourgeois home, but had housed a shop on the ground floor and the family living quarters on the two upper floors.

In fact, Emma Martí describes it as "an austere house, honest to its origins." And she specifies: "It didn't have hydraulic tiles or stucco, but it had maintained its essence and character over the years." There is also something that was decisive for the direction this project would take, and the architect herself emphasizes it: "The previous owners had jealously guarded the carpentry pieces they no longer used; they had kept the ceramic floors and the stairs just as they were originally."

If this house is as we see it today, it's because the project was done little by little, piecemeal, with great respect for the original elements and emphasizing the essence of the building, in many ways stripping it back. Since it's not only Emma Martí's project, but also her home and the location of her architectural studio, and they couldn't suddenly take on the renovation of the entire building, they have entertained themselves by searching for what is intrinsic in the house with the goal of maintaining everything and rethinking all the tradition and giving it a very nice air.

Thus, from 2018 to 2024, the first renovation was the ground floor, which is where the couple's work life takes place: on the one hand, on the street side, is the osteopath's office, while the architectural studio is located further back, in the outbuildings (the house's old kitchen and dining room) that also have a renovated cellar. Like many terraced houses, this one is much longer than it is wide, and is dominated by a vertical layout. Hence, while they work in the basement and on the ground floor, family life takes place on the two floors above: the first floor houses the common areas—the living room, the new kitchen, and the dining room—while the second floor houses the bedrooms.

Highlighting the interventions

They wanted to reflect the house's history and preserve its essence, but also the elements that gave it its character. Furthermore, Emma Martí wanted the interventions to be clear, making visible both what was recovered and what was introduced or transformed. They wanted to preserve what was missing, just as it was: stains on the wall, some old patches, irregularities, defects, old wounds, and repositioning them, even if it meant creating a new element. This is the case with the wooden partition wall that was built to divide the spaces on the ground floor. This partition doesn't reach the ceiling but is held up by a structure and houses old doors, some of them transformed into sliding doors, still retaining one of the house's most unique elements.

Also with time and a desire to preserve their legacy, they decided to preserve the old kitchen and the old wine cellar with its vault, both now part of the Emma Martí Arquitectura studio. They kept the cold room, the stairs, the ceilings, and the stained-glass windows that are so characteristic of Maó's century-old houses. The floor of the top floor—the bedrooms—was preserved, as was the ceramic tile on the first floor, and only microcement was used on the ground floor because the tiling was neither original nor successful. And to address these needs, few materials were used: in addition to wood for the partitions, closets, and kitchen, white tile was used to cover the showers and marble for the floor.

And in the background, and very present, is the patio, also cleaned, also restored, and enhanced. With its different levels and plants that, with time, like everything else, are becoming exuberant, the backyard brings life to the entire house, which largely becomes something to contemplate and experience intensely.