Grooming Retreat by Gartnerfuglen + Mariana de Delás on Balearic Islands, Spain.

Oh my… This little temporary structure makes my heart swell with sweetness and nostalgia. A timber platform rises up from a barley field in Mallorca, giving a young equestrian a space for contemplation and grooming before and after horse riding. Designed as a collaboration between Norwegian studio Gartnerfuglen and Spanish architect Mariana de Delás, the Grooming Retreat was the “dream” request of a woman who had recently moved back to her hometown in the south of the Spanish island. “She asked for a space for grooming, contemplation and delicacy,” explained the architects, who worked with makers from India, Russia and Canada, as well as their home countries to realise the structure.

Surrounded by bushland and wild olive trees, the structure grants a panoramic view of the Mediterranean sea, senses at the horizon the lush island of Cabrera. The space occupies a 3×3m footprint, whereby the timber frame elevates the cocoon to achieve exclusive views, whilst giving a sense of containment and translucent privacy for the user. Layers of white netting are interlaced throughout the frame, achieving varying opacities for each specific use. Focusing on the importance on grooming’s meditative rather than just aesthetic qualities, the space inspires the user to devote time to the reconnection of the mind to the shell. Such a touching and thoughtful little project.

[Images courtesy of Gartnerfuglen & Mariana de Delás.]