Mediterranean

The brief

A young family restoring a traditional finca outside Palma wanted the primary bedroom to feel grounded in the island — clay, lime, olive — without leaning into Tuscan-villa cliché.

The challenge

The original ceiling beams and terracotta floor were intact but the walls had been drywalled in the 2000s. Restoring breathable lime plaster meant coordinating trades the clients hadn't planned for, and the bed wall needed an architectural moment without new construction.

The approach

• 01

  Stripped the drywall and re-rendered the walls in two coats of pigmented lime in a soft warm white.

• 02

  Carved a deep arched alcove into the rebuilt bed wall — frames the bed and gives the room its single architectural moment.

• 03

  Specified a low platform bed dressed in white washed linen, with no headboard so the alcove reads, and hung twin slim black pendants on either side of the bed in place of nightstand lamps.

• 04

  Replaced the original casement with an arched floor-to-ceiling black-steel window with a criss-cross lattice, so the light pattern is part of the room.

• 05

  Restored the original terracotta floor with linseed oil only — no sealant, no sheen.

• 06

  Anchored the foot of the bed on the right with a tall woven seagrass basket; kept everything else off the floor.

Materials & finishes

Walls

Pigmented lime plaster, warm white

Floor

Original terracotta, linseed-oil restored

Bed

Low platform, no headboard, dressed in white washed linen

Window

Arched floor-to-ceiling black-steel window with criss-cross lattice

Lighting

Twin slim black pendants on either side of the bed

Styling

Tall woven seagrass basket beside the bed; clay vessel with olive branches in the alcove

The outcome

The alcove now does all the talking. The family says the room is cool in summer and warm in winter — exactly what a lime-rendered finca bedroom should do.

Frequently asked

Why an arched bed alcove and an arched window?

Two repeating arches on opposite walls give the small finca bedroom its only architectural rhythm — the alcove frames the bed, the window frames the light.

Why a criss-cross lattice on the window?

The diamond muntins throw a lattice shadow across the terracotta floor through the day, so the floor pattern changes with the sun instead of staying static.

Why no headboard?

The arched plaster alcove already frames the bed. Adding a headboard would compete with the architecture; leaving it out lets the alcove read.