Living under a rock has never looked so good.
Ibiza is best known for its sexy beaches and non-stop nightlife, but travel a bit farther north and you’ll find yourself somewhere surprisingly idyllic: a home tucked away in a 400-year-old cave.
Owners Pietro Cuevas and David Swayne left their life in the United States nearly 20 years ago. They relocated to Spain, and as luck would have it, spent a night in the cave dwelling before settling in Barcelona. It was love at first sight. The couple vowed to one day make it their home, and a decade later, the dream came true.
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Cuevas and Swayne remodelled the kitchen and repaired the walls, but left the original wood beam ceilings intact. Today the space is stripped back and whitewashed, celebrating the home’s simplicity and offering a sense of serenity, while the décor mixes contemporary urban sophistication with rustic elements. It’s a peaceful escape from Ibiza’s rowdier scenes.
Elsewhere in Spain, near Córdoba, UMMOestudio designed the second of these two spectacular cave houses. Like the first home, this one embraces original elements (in this case, the rugged surface of the stone) while adding pristine whitewashed walls and concrete floors.
“We decided to focus the intervention toward a fluid and continuous dialogue between pre-existing conditions and the new architecture,” say the architects, “always from a respectful position seeking proximity rather than direct contact.”
Clean-cut contemporary design once again provides a pleasant contrast to the natural setting. The white exterior stands out from the surrounding stone, while modern materials such as concrete and aluminium accentuate the ancient age of the carved rock.
Inside, handcrafted wooden furniture and soft fabrics add warmth and a touch of local character to the dwelling. South-facing windows ensure the space is always beautifully lit. A dark and dreary Batcave this is definitely not.