Few would believe from these finely restored walls and new steel-framed doors that Ca S’Església was once known as the haunted house of Deià — to none other than Robert Graves, the writer and most famous veteran of the Mallorcan village. The decaying bones of the home sat empty for decades until MoreDesign pieced it back together six years ago. Visitors who spot it today, perhaps while taking in views of the Serra de Tramuntana from the mirador, could only covet its pristine 16th-century sandstone and its position on the church square.

Architects from the Deià-based practice MoreDesign resurrected it as a 147sqm two-bed live-work space, offering a second set of blueprints that would incorporate a third bedroom or second bathroom with little work. They used traditional lime mortar to repair the original rock walls and reinstated a patio framed by native planting. A new steel-framed glass archway protects the original wood doors leading into the property’s dining room and the relaid reclaimed-stone floors.

Though rooms are characterised by traditional lime and weathered wood, they’ve been modernised behind the scenes with air conditioning, underfloor heating and fibre internet wiring. The kitchen’s reclaimed wood cabinetry and rough-edged Binissalem stone countertops are balanced out by up-to-date appliances and raw-brass hardware.

Walls are breathable but thick, making the Mallorcan property a peaceful proposition, despite its walkable distance from everything in town. It is currently priced at €820,000 with Charles Marlow.