A Bare-Bones Hunting Shelter on Mallorca Becomes a Sunny Retreat

Before it was the 12 Volt Retreat, this simple stone hut was just one of dozens of shelters scattered throughout the Mallorcan countryside: a place for a hunter or shepherd to retreat from a storm, prepare a meal, or store tools. Built with the island’s native marés sandstone and outfitted with only a couple chairs and a fireplace, it was meant to be used for just a few hours at a time.

As part of a pilot program to repurpose these disused sheds, Spanish multidisciplinary studio Mariana de Delás has turned the structure into a weekend escape that’s refreshingly simple and surprisingly stylish.

With a Mediterranean pine forest on one side and a rock quarry on the other, the tiny stone shelter with its tile roof has a rough-hewn authenticity, even with its tidy renovation and fresh green paint on the door and shutters.