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Q&A: Margalida Montoya of Cas Padrí Pons

Meet architect Margalida Montoya, owner of 16th-century townhouse Cas Padrí Pons in Santanyí, Mallorca. A structure that once played host to farmers, their livestock, and even large amounts of grain (stored in an underground pit that remains to this day), it has been given a subtle but highly stylish makeover—while staying true to its rural roots.

Category
Q&A
Written by
Boutique.
Published
March 23, 2023
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What are your favorite qualities in a home?

The feeling of warmth, a mixture of ancient (and imperfect) and modern (and minimalist).

What do you love most about your home?

It is an oasis of tranquility in the heart of the village. You don't expect what you are going to find until you get inside.

What do guests love most about it?

When they enter they are surprised by the minimalist kitchen in an old house, but what they like most is the patio with its clear water swimming pool, the fruit garden, the solarium by the orange tree, and the winter terrace made of reused old wooden beams.

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How did you first discover it?

It is a house that has belonged to my family for more than 200 years.

What was the biggest challenge in (re)creating it?

I am an architect, so making a good project respecting the old but adding the comforts of the modern was my biggest challenge. As for the work, being able to build the pool with small machinery because I had to be able to enter through the original door. I wanted to respect the old façade as much as possible.

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What’s your most treasured possession in the home?

Breakfast on the patio in the shade of the pomegranate tree or a moonlit swim in the pool.

What was your biggest indulgence?

No doubt it was to create a minimalist swimming pool where the pigs and chickens of the house used to live.

What is your favorite pastime when you are there?

Going to the Santanyí market on a Saturday morning to buy fruit, vegetables, flowers and other treats from the local artisans and then have lunch in the tree-shaded patio with a good wine.

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Where in the home are you happiest?

Taking a relaxing bath in the master bedroom, or taking the first dip of the morning in the pool, listening to the birds singing.

What is your favorite place to curl up with a good book?

In winter by the wood-burning fireplace, and in summer on the porch or in a hammock in the garden by the pool.

What book would that be?

Any books about slow life.

What is the soundtrack of the house?

Any song by Philip Glass.

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Where do people gather?

At the dining table on the porch, or in the solarium next to the swimming pool.

When you leave the house, where do you go?

In Santanyí, there are fantastic restaurants of high quality, as well as a multitude of craft shops, clothes, fruit, art galleries and of course bar terraces.

Celebrate your best slow life with a stay at Cas Padrí Pons here.