Embracing the Old with Quintana Partners

Quintana Partners do plenty to the kitchens they remodel, but you’d never know it. Based on the Spanish island of Menorca (land of white sand bays and British colonial architecture, not be confused with its larger neighbor Mallorca), the design firm specialize in resuscitating atmospheric, old seaside houses.

When it comes to kitchen remodels, rather than taking the familiar remove-and-replace clinical approach, the three partners—Escat Benito Diaz; his son, Benito Escat Velez; and Pol Castells—believe in leaving next to no trace. And so they introduce new plumbing, electricity, and appliances, and often re-scale the spaces (“most of the time, there are height sizes that are not compatible anymore in the 21st century; the population used to be shorter a hundred years ago,” Pol tells us), while also preserving tile work, revealing original paint, and adding simpatico antiques. Count us among the enthralled. Here’s a sampling of their remodels.

Photography courtesy of Quintana Partners.

Sa Calma

Above: “Se Calma means calming place or House of Calm,” says Pol, of the townhouse in the island’s capital, Mahón. In the kitchen, Quintana Partners transformed a trio of small rooms with “Formica elements” into one large, airy workspace.

The tiles and terrazzo floor are original, as is the laundry sink, which was given a new use and pride of place.
New appliances include a Smeg 5os-Style Refrigerator, Smeg 30-Inch Gas Range, Smeg Victoria Ventilation Hood, and Corberó dishwasher.

the marble topped wooden counter and other furnishings are all vintage fin 18 — Above: The marble-topped wooden counter and other furnishings are all vintage finds repurposed by the designers.

The pot rack is a traditional Menorcan clothes rail. The pendant lights came from the local flea market. Explore the whole house in our post The All-Vintage Renovation by Quintana Partners.

Sa Calma Annex

the designers outfitted a top floor guest apartment in the house with an indust 19 — Above: The designers outfitted a top-floor guest apartment in the house with an industrial kitchenette built using copper piping and modular steel shelving. “It’s not a place for a lot of cooking, just some tea and an omelette,” says Pols.

Note the decorated fridge: The owners had bought a generic white model that stuck out in the setting, and so the designers decoupaged it with old magazine and newspaper clippings and glue.

quintana partners travel for their finds: the kitchen — Above: Quintana Partners travel for their finds: the kitchen’s vintage enamelware utensil rack and clamp light came from a flea market in the South of France.

Townhouse A

in a formerly kitchenless structure that benito and pol renovated for them 21 — Above: In a formerly kitchenless structure that Benito and Pol renovated for themselves, they hung an Ikea Grundtal Rail as a utensil rack over the chopping board.

Vintage accessories, such as a medicine cabinet, lend color and a casual feel to the new space.