Cales Fonts: all to the white in a Menorcan house full of magic
We make a white clay floor for the house of interior designer Carme Carretero in Menorca
In the wild fantasy that is this house, we got the pavement. An all white, lovingly handmade fired clay floor that’s a dream come true. This project takes place in Es Castell, a tiny little village near Mahón, Menorca. It’s a family unit that conveys in its style not only an aesthetic intention, but a whole philosophy. Following Carme’s usual line of work, this house defends honest and uncontrived spaces. The place is transparent, direct. It doesn’t have any folds or traps. It pays homage to traditional Balear fishermen’s houses, to simplicity and long-lasting, handmade things. But, beyond rhetoric, how does all of this translate into practice? Through color, choice of materials and attention to detail.
A white universe to reflect the Mediterranean purity
Everything on this project is white, even what is not. The large window to the patio, the walls and ceiling painted with lime and our white clay floor capture the light. One doesn’t have the feeling of benign outside receiving the light, but rather that it is the clarity itself that finds its own way to the inside of the house.
The choice of betting it all on the white can be risky in some projects. We associate whiteness with a lot of things: purity and sincerity, yes, but aseptic spaces, operating rooms, dentist’s waiting rooms also come to mind. It is an art, taking a white monochromy and turning it into a cozy space. And that, in our experience, is one hundred percent dependent on the choice of materials.
Just as we said before, the intention of this house is to celebrate the simplicity and straightforwardness. It is not always indispensable to turn to nordic wisdom (which we also love), but to find inspiration in the limits of our own sea. The Mediterranean style speaks its own language, and this house is fluent in it.
The materials it uses are naturally light colored. The walls and ceiling are, simply, covered in lime powder. The white of our terracotta floor has the natural hues that traditional oven cooking gives to the surface of the tiles. The notes of color given by furniture exude tradition and craftsmanship over its every pore: everything inside this house is made by hand and designed to last to the next generation. And it shows. The fact that everything is white looks like (and here lies the brilliance of it all) a coincidence.
When colors and materials dialogue with the space
The house is an open and closed space at once. The round finishes and almost total absence of right angles (so typical of traditional Balear architecture) provide an immense feeling of shelter. With such a big window, the common areas, especially the living room, adjacent to the patio, might have been too exposed. However, the vaulted ceiling, the artisanal clay floor and the handmade furniture turn the open space into a cozy nest.
On this project we found the perfect combination that our terracotta floors make with Let’s Pause, a decor firm that only uses natural materials to create unique pieces that are true works of wonder. They give the note of color to this monochrome universe, highlighting the beauty of its lamps and furniture, but also the depth of the shades of our white brick floor.
Pictures by Maria Algara
