Architecture unfolds quietly at Mendi Argia. The early 20th-century San Sebastián villa, reimagined by Openhouse Studio and listed for €3.45 million, was restored with a deliberate restraint that allows proportion, material and daylight to lead. Rather than imposing a new identity, the project sharpens what was already present: arches, generous volumes and a close relationship to the surrounding Basque landscape.

The restoration balances continuity and adaptation. Original elements like carved timber details and decorative plasterwork have been carefully retained while new interventions are intentionally recessive. Softly plastered walls and a muted mineral palette create a sense of cohesion across the interiors, with rooms arranged to follow the slope of the site and the movement of the sun throughout the day.

Ten guest rooms are distributed across the villa, each with its own bathroom and framed views across the hillsides and out towards the coast. Communal spaces are shaped by light and scale, with furnishings and artworks used sparingly to define moments within the plan.

Outside, a sequence of terraces steps down the garden to an infinity pool that visually merges with the greenery beyond. From its elevated position above the city, Mendi Argia feels both connected to San Sebastián’s cultural life and gently removed from it.

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