Ancient stone housebarn becomes couple’s tranquil home-office

In the Cantabrian mountains of Northern Spain, the traditional barn houses- used by nomadic farmers who graze their livestock on only grasses- have been abandoned as larger mechanized operations took over the industry. Laura Álvarez, who grew up enjoying the raw nature of this region, bought an abandoned stone house barn, a “cabaña pasiega“, and rebuilt it paying homage to its past (passive solar orientation, few windows), but with a modern take. To capture the areas’ rapidly changing weather and expansive views, Álvarez cut huge panoramic sliding glass doors into each side of the home to capture a view of the mountain and waterfalls, as well as the view of the valley below.