Neuendorf House | Mallorca, Spain | 1991

[John Pawson]

This vacation house designed by John Pawson for a German art dealer is set in an almond grove on the island of Mallorca, with views of sea and mountains.

Grand in scale and humble in tone, Neuendorf House is reminiscent of an art installation, and it’s clean sharp delineated lines of vertical and geometric shapes evokes a modern take on antiquity. Equal parts mid century modern and ancient adobe castle, the striking minimalist emphasis in and out and use of raw, natural materials creates a harmonious palette with the landscape.

The closed red walls rise up abruptly from the rough, red landscape. The concrete is tinged the same color as the stones and the soil, the emphatically tall narrow walls make sharp incisions in the wild landscape. But behind the walls lurks not a castle, but a massive house, a villa with almost 600 m² of living space around a central closed courtyard, with a garden, with terraces, a walled tennis court, and a narrow pool at whose far end the water falls dramatically through a gargoyle into a second pool located at a lower level.

With an unusual economy of design, this villa is nevertheless a vivid and stylish statement and is a peaceful and luxurious retreat. Text description by the architects.