In a mountainous region in Spain, local studio Ábaton converted a labour house into a contemporary cottage that overlooks a nearby forest. Designed in 2024, Cottage in La Vera features traditional architecture and materials but with a modern twist. Dubbed a “non-intervention” in the territory by the studio, the renovation was intended to respect the existing building, using local materials from the land and old surrounding structures.

Cottage in La Vera Features Traditional Architecture
Local studio Ábaton has converted a labour house into a contemporary cottage in a mountainous region that overlooks a nearby forest.
Surrounded by a hunting area lined with wildlife, Àbaton sought to establish a retreat that preserves the original materials and layout of the house, creating a “dialogue between architecture, interior design, and the natural surroundings”.
“Preserving traditional architecture and replicating the volume and materials, with a twist that allows one to experience the rusticity of the home with contemporary comforts,” said the studio.
Ábaton focused the cottage around the open-plan living and dining area, which sits between two bedrooms and bathrooms. The studio opened up the interior of the property by removing its windows, opting to instead cut rectangular openings from the floor to the ceiling.

Wooden shutters complete with slatted openings offer privacy and trim the sunlight that pours into the home. The shutters can ...