Casa Alta stands on rocky ground, at one of the highest points in Cadaqués, where licorella stone breaks through the surface. What could have been an obstacle became the starting point of the project and its guiding thread: the dark-stained oak that lines much of the interior takes on the exact tone of that stone, building a chromatic bridge between the architecture and the landscape around it.

The house resolves into two volumes connected to one another, ordering different degrees of privacy: one for the main living areas, the other for work and for guests. A single system of lighting tracks runs through both bodies and keeps them joined despite the distance between them: on the staircase it continues along the wall, following the movement of anyone passing from one volume to the other, floor by floor, without breaking the calm atmosphere that runs through the whole house.

Inside, the designer pieces settle into the weight of the stone and the dark wood without losing warmth: the Thinking Man armchair, by Jasper Morrison for Cappellini, and the Sengu sofa, by Patricia Urquiola for Cassina, invite you to sit close to the fire, with the Maggiolina armchair by Zanotta and the Bombori floor lamp by DePadova on one side, and the Refolo low table, designed by Charlotte Perriand for Cassina, and the Richer side table by Minotti on the other.

That same calm reaches into the bedrooms, where the Neowall bed by Living Divani doesn't disturb it, and extends outward, where the Sundance chair by DePadova and the Palissade loungers and bench by HAY set the scene for life outdoors, with the licorella stone always present as a backdrop. The stone that once looked like an obstacle ends up, in this way, being the thread that stitches together every corner of the house.

Architecture and interior design: Francesc Rifé Studio. Photography: Javier Márquez.