La Raíz Viva, The Living Root, is a home that listens before it speaks. It honours the land beneath it, works with the seasons, and invites nature not just to surround, but to enter, shape, and thrive.

Set quietly within the wild hills of Menorca with both land and sea vistas , La Raíz Viva is more than a home, it is a regenerative dwelling grown from the land itself. Guided by a deeply biophilic philosophy, the design responds to the natural rhythms of place: the slope of the terrain, the movement of the breeze, the hush of olive leaves in afternoon light.

This is not architecture that arrives with a statement, it evolves as part of the landscape. It harmonises elegance, sustainability, and wellbeing, creating a space that feels both ancient and entirely new. A villa designed not to impress with noise, but to soothe with quiet clarity.

Our Client’s brief was to create a retreat that blended contemporary and timeless design, a serene calming and comfortable space of organic natural tones and materials. Three fully immersive suites that offered different moments and were to feel equal!

The Regenerative Design of a Luxury Villa

This home began not with a shape, but with a question: What does this land want to become?

The answer was not a house that dominates, but one that regenerates, that gives back more than it takes. The design is embedded in a long-term vision of environmental responsibility and emotional resonance. Every decision, from structure to planting, was made in service of the land, the senses, and the future.

This is architecture in quiet dialogue with nature: solar-aligned volumes, green roofs that support biodiversity, breathable natural materials, and carefully managed water use. Here, the built environment and ecological systems are entwined, not separate, but symbiotic.

Through this approach, the villa becomes a vessel for biophilic living, where materials, views, airflow, and tactility all support human wellbeing while nurturing the ecosystem in which it sits.

La Raíz Viva is organised across three stepped levels, each one attuned to its own kind of connection: to the sky, to the earth, to the soul.

Upper Level – Sky & Stillness

Here, clean white volumes emerge gently from the hillside, softened by native stone and framed by olive trees. These are spaces for rest and retreat: private bedrooms filled with light, each one being greeted with views that meets the sea in a long, quiet breath.

Interior finishes are calm, tactile, and rooted in nature, lime plaster walls, timber joinery, handwoven textiles. There is no unnecessary decoration. Only elegance in restraint.

Even the layout encourages stillness. Rooms are placed to catch morning light and evening silence. The air moves gently. The mood is slow.

Mid Level – Living in the Light

The middle terrace is where the home opens, spatially, socially, sensorially. Here, indoor and outdoor spaces are completely integrated. Bifold doors open the dining room to the scent of lavender. A kitchen flows beneath a timber pergola, shaded by climbing plants.

A suspended staircase of oak and glass floats through the space, connecting levels without interruption. Above it, a handblown smoked glass chandelier which glows like a constellation, a touch of softness in the architectural rhythm.

At the edge, a saltwater infinity pool stretches toward the landscape, not as a spectacle, but as a quiet invitation. Its surface reflects the sky. Its presence feels inevitable.

This level represents what the home stands for: connection, openness, clarity, all in harmony with place

Lower Level – Rooted in Joy

At the lowest terrace, the house becomes part of the terrain. Here, stone gives way to garden. Courtyards invite play and laughter. A fire pit is encircled by wild grasses and soft seating. Lounge areas feel sculpted from the landscape itself.

Tucked into the hillside is a vaulted cellar, cool, curved, and calm. A place for wine, for stories, for time. Beside it, a games room offers a playful contrast: table tennis, music, echoing joy.

This level speaks to wellbeing in all its forms, not just physical comfort, but emotional grounding. It’s architecture that makes space for life to be lived fully, simply, and without excess.

Craftsmanship – Quiet, Considered, Lasting

Every detail in La Raíz Viva speaks of craftsmanship over ornament. Walls are finished in breathable, natural plaster. Floors in stone and reclaimed oak soften with age. The joinery is bespoke, built to be touched, cabinetry that fits the hand, not just the eye.

Tapware is aged brass. Lighting is sculptural but never shouting. Materials were chosen not only for their aesthetic, but for how they weather, how they tell time. This is a home that will get better with age, that is meant to gather wear and memory.

Biophilic Landscape – The Garden is the Architecture

At La Raíz Viva, the garden is not separate from the house, it is part of it.

The planting is wild, native, and purposeful: low-water, pollinator-friendly, and fragrant. Lavender, rosemary, wild sage, and cactus brush against pathways. Meadow roofs provide cooling, insulation, and habitat. Ancient olive and Palm trees remain untouched, not preserved like relics, but embraced like elders.

The result is a biophilic garden that supports both human and ecological wellbeing. It provides views, scents, textures, and sound, all elements that soothe the nervous system and reconnect the body with its natural environment.

This is landscape not as afterthought, but as a primary experience. The planting and design encourages biodiversity through diverse habitats and free movement for wildlife.

The Atmosphere – Designed to Be Felt

Every aspect of La Raíz Viva is designed to be experienced, to awaken the senses and foster a profound connection between body, mind, and place. The villa breathes with the rhythm of nature, inviting occupants to slow down, to listen, and to feel held by the space.

Natural light filters through carefully calibrated openings, shifting throughout the day and animating surfaces with soft warmth. The gentle sound of water from the infinity pool and garden fountains lulls the senses. The scent of native herbs, lavender, rosemary, sage, weaves through the air, grounding every moment.

This atmosphere is no accident. It is the product of intentional, regenerative design that nurtures well-being. A biophilic environment that heals, inspires, and elevates daily life. The villa’s new-build construction embodies this philosophy not through imitation, but through innovation, harmonizing modern techniques with timeless principles of nature-led living.

A New Build Villa Rooted in Tradition

While La Raíz Viva is a new construction, it is conceived with a deep reverence for Menorca’s architectural heritage and natural context. It bridges past and present, tradition and innovation. It’s not a house that tries to be noticed, it is a house that remembers. It holds the memory of the land before it was built, and it invites a future where design and ecology are not separate pursuits, but shared ones.

The villa forms an echo of the island’s vernacular, clean white volumes, sloped roofs, stone walls, but they are reimagined through a contemporary lens. This blending creates a home that feels both timeless and fresh, familiar and original.

The project employs modern building techniques to meet high standards of sustainability and comfort without sacrificing the soulfulness of handcrafted detail. Local artisans are to be engaged to shape bespoke joinery, textiles, and finishes, ensuring that the villa carries the imprint of place and people embracing the islands historical craftsmanship.

This thoughtful new build thus becomes an enduring expression of place, a home that honours its roots even as it reaches forward.

It is rooted. Quiet. Alive.

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