Galician granite conceals a rustic but refined house

There’s only a few places in the world where it feels like time stops and living becomes a sensitive activity defined by movement, sensory reception and the height of the sun. Under the Galician sky, thick with heat, on the site of an ancient ruin, architect Jamie Fobert and his partner Dominique Gagnon have built a house (see W*220) that bestows a wholesome, and necessary, respite from the world to all who pass its threshold. Found near the small town of Aldán, on the edge of a nature reserve, Camino de Playa’s centuries-old granite walls, Corten steel gates, cascading water and courtyards frame one of the most sought-after luxuries, quiet seclusion. We hope we can transport you there with this idyllic portrait by filmaker Tapio Snellman.

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).