FORMENTERA
A family home restored
FORMENTERA
PRIVATE HOUSE
Formentera, Spain
Nestled at the end of a quiet residential dust track on the edge of a protected natural park in Formentera, Clémence and James have completed the renovation of their own family home - a deeply personal project that marks a rare opportunity for the studio to turn its narrative design process inward.
The six-bedroom house sits at the boundary where the protected park stretches between the property and the coastline, with views out to sea beyond. Very few motor vehicles pass the house: only pedestrians and cyclists making their way through the natural park toward a rocky beach fifteen minutes away, on foot. It is a calm, peaceful site, visited only by those who come to embrace the island's nature.
The house itself was originally built in the 1960s by a Spanish father as a home for his family, used every holiday. With the children now grown up, it had been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair. The volumes were generous, the structure healthy, and even the sea air - notoriously aggressive in Formentera, where high salinity and island winds can quietly devastate a building - had done little lasting damage.
Before a single sketch was drawn, Clémence and James immersed themselves in the landscape, history and material culture of Formentera - a process that led them to the Sabina tree, a sculptural, salt-resistant species native to the Balearics whose wind-twisted trunks have come to embody the island's quietly defiant character. The parallel with the house itself was immediate: something shaped by its environment, resistant to outside forces, yet deeply rooted in place. That narrative of sculpture and resilience became the creative driver for the entire project, reinforced personally by Clémence's father, a sculptor who threw himself into the garden with characteristic energy, his hands-on, making instinct entirely in keeping with the organic, material-led spirit of the house.
The idea of something sculptural and natural, evolving in response to its surroundings, runs through every decision: from the locally sourced dry stone reclaimed and sabina used throughout the architecture and structural elements, the oak detailing and joinery, to the bespoke furniture and fittings, crafted by artisans the studio has worked with over many years.
It is a full circle: a family home, built with love, that is a family home again. We wanted to give it a new story, one that was entirely specific to this island, this landscape, and how we live.
Formentera is a fiercely protected island, a fact the studio embraced entirely, using it as a creative prompt rather than a limitation. The work focused on repairing what had been neglected, restoring what had been abandoned, and bringing to the foreground qualities that had always been there but never properly celebrated.
The original dark floor tiles were replaced with lighter hand-polished concrete with terracotta inserts, and corridor spaces were reduced to give every bedroom an ensuite. Most significantly, the ground-floor kitchen, living and dining spaces, previously three separate, disconnected rooms, were opened up to create one flowing open-plan space. It was a transformation that improved the house dramatically, now providing a generous volume for the whole family, moving easily between living, cooking and dining. The original vaulted kitchen ceiling was retained, the fireplaces restored and opened up, and the house's narrow doorways were transformed into soft arches, a strong characteristic of the renovated interiors, present throughout the structural and circulation elements. The home was returned to what it always should have been: a warm, welcoming family home.
The interiors are calm and considered, designed to work with, rather than compete against the landscape beyond. In the summer, the vivid blues of the sky and greens of the garden demand a quieter interior, a backdrop rather than a statement. Natural materials, local craft and a soft palette form the foundation, with colour and texture introduced through furniture, drapery and accessories.
The kitchen, anchored by its vaulted ceiling and open fireplace, forms the hub of the house, connecting through to the living room on one side and the dining room on the other.
The living room presented a particular challenge: long and narrow in plan, it needed a centrepiece that could feel inviting whether occupied by two people or twelve. The answer was a generous curved sofa designed by the studio specifically for the space, upholstered in a warm, sun-bright fabric that lifts the room without overwhelming it.
In the dining room, a bespoke adze-carved oak sideboard, tactile, textured and deeply considered, completes the picture. Both pieces have since entered the studio's Editions collection of artisan-made furniture and accessories, launched in 2025.
Evident throughout, the project also draws on the studio's deep experience in hospitality design - they know how to design for groups. The outdoor spaces, a large dining terrace, a generous pool lounge, a shaded outdoor living area, are conceived for many people at once, with the ease and consideration of spaces designed to be hosted in.
Inside and outside Clémence and James ensured that their family or a large group of guests can come together or find their own corners: numerous living spaces are distributed throughout, the children have their own dedicated area, and calmer, more private moments are as well provided for as the shared ones.
Clémence and James have been coming to Formentera for twenty years, first on day trips from Ibiza, where they had a house in the old town, before deciding that Formentera's quieter, more nature-focused pace was better suited to their life as a family. The house is now enjoyed across all seasons. A beach where you can still be completely alone in the middle of summer. Autumn, the last warm weeks before the island quiets down for winter, the sea still warm, a few restaurants still open, is a particular favourite. And there are plans, one day, for Christmas.
PIRAJEAN LEES SCOPE
Full Interior design scheme
Transformation of property into a family home
Layouts, room distribution, circulation
Bespoke finishes and joinery
Bespoke furniture design
PARTNERS
Photographer: Ana Lui
Pirajean Lees is a narrative Interior Architecture, luxury interior design and furniture design studio in Chelsea, London, creating richly imaginative spaces for high-end hospitality and prime residential clients worldwide. For more information or to submit a brief, please contact the studio.
