It’s 98 degrees on Lanzarote, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, yet sitting in the office of her home in the historic town of Teguise, architect Patricia Betancort Ramos is comfortably cool. Behind her is a limewashed wall punctuated with patches of gray—the result of moisture rising through its ancient stone structure, and the island’s perpetually humid climate. While most designers might try to conceal this natural phenomenon with layers of primer and paint, Patricia has embraced it.

These walls are a signature of her home, which she shares with her husband, three young children, and two dogs. Measuring 4,225 square feet with three open-air internal patios, it has room enough for everyone.

The original structure, which she estimates dates back to at least 1900, had been in her husband’s family for generations. It displayed the typical single-story, mission-style simplicity of the island’s rural architecture, although it fell into ruins after being uninhabited for 40 years. Seeing great potential, Patricia seized the opportunity to put into practice her ideas for sustainable construction, reuse, and the revival of hyperlocal processes and materials—a philosophy she calls “the beauty of things you don’t see.”

“This type of traditional architecture is very interesting in terms of bioclimatics and construction,” she explains. “As there weren’t many materials available back then, it was a very simple way of building but extremely smart. As we rebuilt the home, we learned a lot by exploring and really going into detail on how these properties were made.”

The home’s original layout was already suitable for what Patricia calls “a very open family,” so they only pulled down 10 percent of the walls. The couple expanded the three original patios, which are woven through the plan, relocated the kitchen, and converted the stables into living space. In the updated bathrooms and bedrooms, new skylights let the family ponder the stars as they bathe or drift off to sleep.

The home’s indoor and outdoor spaces are unified by cement flooring mixed with local sand and shined with beeswax. Patricia, who is sensitive to certain chemicals and prefers organic finishes, was meticulous in using vernacular materials. She treated the framework with nogalina, a tint extracted from walnut shells, and laboriously restored beams made of wood from the endangered Canarian pine tree. Even the limewashed walls play a part in her holistic approach—the material’s slow calcification has antifungal and antibacterial properties.

“In our house, we share everything. Each of us has a private space, but they are all connected, and common areas flow right through them.”
—Patricia Betancort Ramos, architect and resident

The couple let the decor of their home evolve slowly and organically, and they sourced several statement pieces from the site. A raw-edge stone feeding trough became a monolithic hand basin, and narrow timber ducts that once channeled water throughout the home now form a trickling fountain. Patricia stumbled upon a set of 1960s patio chairs and repainted them because she really likes the design. She is less happy with her massive, old sofa. “We haven’t really thought about getting a new one, as we have dogs and kids,” she says. “In every phase of your life, you need different things, so each space will continue to transform.”

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Patricia Betancort Ramos / @patricia_betancort

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Before & After: This Canary Islands Home Was a Crumbling Ruin, but She Rebuilt It Piece by Piece