Behind an unassuming facade in the centre of Mallorca’s quaint mountain town of Sóller, a 19th-century townhouse is gently resurrected with a Danish design spin.
Palazzo Bartomeu stood completely untouched for two decades before Danish design studio &TEMPEL was introduced to its neoclassical interiors. Tucked away in Sóller, Mallorca, where the UNESCO-listed Tramuntana mountains are present at every turn, the townhouse’s location immediately struck &TEMPEL founder and designer Camilla van den Tempel. Sitting opposite Sóller’s church of Saint Bartholomew, which dates back to the 13th century, and steps away from the historic centre, Palazzo Bartomeu also features the town’s only private rooftop terrace.
“It felt like a place that had been waiting to be brought back to life after nearly two decades of neglect,” Camilla van den Tempel says. “There was something about the location, the architecture, the patina of the walls and the way the light moved through the high ceilings and beautiful double doors; you could almost hear the stories the building had to tell.”
A smoked oak kitchen, handcrafted in Denmark, features Gaggenau and Miele appliances.
Palazzo Bartomeu has a three-story hall with bridges connecting the two wings.
Palazzo Bartomeu unfolds across three levels, including a rooftop terrace, patio and saltwater pool, and with its own fully-equipped, separate guesthouse. Almost 700 square metres in size, van den Tempel says the main challenge was finding a balance between honouring the building’s history while enhancing its contemporary liveability. “There’s also a slower pace of life here, which really shaped the design direction,” van den Tempel adds. “It’s as central as you can get, yet it feels like a private sanctuary.”
As soon as she stepped inside the townhouse, van den Tempel says she had a clear vision. The designer was set on retaining the home’s details that revealed its age and soul; the spiral staircase, wooden beams and antique tiled floors. The curved staircase captures attention from entry, featuring marble steps, deliberately contrasted by black metalwork.
“It naturally draws the eye and connects all three floors, making it an easy decision to keep,” van den Tempel says. The wooden beams and modernist tiles were just as important, adding depth and character that as van den Tempel says, new materials couldn’t replicate. “I preserved everything that was worth saving, so the original structure and history of the house remains very much alive.”
A glass dome above the staircase invites natural light into the central core of the home. Walls are deliberately kept a warm all-white to draw this light further into the home’s two wings, and to highlight the existing decorative mouldings—allowing them to speak for themselves.
“One of the things I love most about the house is how its mood changes throughout the day,” van den Tempel says. “The way the light moves through the space creates a calm and constantly shifting atmosphere.” When considering light fittings throughout, van den Tempel built on the home’s monochromatic scheme, with pendants, wall sconces and downlights selected to accentuate a cohesive flow.
Stone is a dominant material throughout the home, and a material that finds its way into every &TEMPEL project. Palazzo Bartomeu is constructed from local Marés stone, which van den Tempel says has been used on the island for centuries to insulate against heat, cold, and sound. “Originally, the ground floor had hand-cut granite stones, but they extended 35-45 cm into the floor and were only smooth on the surface,” van den Tempel explains. “Since we needed to insulate the floor, we unfortunately couldn’t keep them. Instead, we replaced them with a beautiful local Spanish stone that feels true to the spirit of the house.”
As the Danish studio’s first Mallorcan project, van den Tempel says they brought Denmark’s long tradition of wooden carpentry and simple design to Palazzo Bartomeu. “Both the handcrafted kitchen and the Vola fittings reflect that philosophy,” she says. “With the kitchen, we were also allowed to bring in the right tone of smoked oak – something that’s not commonly found in Spanish craftsmanship. It’s those details that make the result feel both unique and balanced.”
Whether taking in the UNESCO-listed Tramuntana mountains from its very top, observing the home’s original details in the quietness of one of its seven bedrooms, or sitting by the green marble pool on the patio, &TEMPEL has maximised every aspect of Palazzo Bartomeu’s potential. Where history follows you into every space, Palazzo Bartomeu reveals what it means to celebrate what was already there, and the special town it occupies.
