From our studio in Palma, CARLO Design plans and oversees conversions, renovations and interiors in Sóller, Port de Sóller, Deià, Fornalutx and Valldemossa. We first establish what the municipality requires for façade, roof, pool and building site, design architecture and interiors as one team and are on site every week.
Sóller and Port de Sóller form one municipality; Deià, Fornalutx and Valldemossa each have their own rules and taxes. Sóller still uses its 1998 general plan, whose revision has stood at preliminary draft since 2013. Deià has governed the appearance of every house through its own protection plan since 2000.
All share the Serra de Tramuntana, a UNESCO cultural landscape of terraces, dry-stone walls and waterworks since 2011. Parts of all four lie within its natural area, whose protection plan has been under revision since 2024, and in 2026 the Consell de Mallorca drafted a law for this landscape.
Here it is almost always about houses that already stand.
These houses have thick walls, small windows and shutters in prescribed colours. We establish the protection grade and plan light, bathrooms, kitchen and services with units and cables out of sight.
More on renovation on MallorcaUsually on rustic land, often within the natural area, and often with extensions built without a licence. Before you buy, we check what is legal, what could be legalised and on what conditions.
Checks before you buyClose to the sea we check the coastal strip first, where legal houses may be modernised but not enlarged, and plan the interior through to moving in.
Holiday home interiorsAn extract from planning rules and bylaws, as of October 2026. What applies to your house depends on location, zone and catalogue entry.
All of Deià counts as a protected cultural asset because it was declared a picturesque landscape in 1972. Façades are generally local rubble stone without cladding, wooden or iron shutters in a fixed colour range are mandatory, glazed balconies are not allowed, and at least 80 percent of the roof carries Arab tiles.
Building new or extending by half or more means repairing the terrace walls on the plot. A pool has at most 50 square metres of water, one per plot, on an existing terrace without touching its wall, and none are allowed in the old village cores.
A municipal bylaw puts air-conditioning units on the roof, on a façade only for technical reasons and without projecting. The old towns have a narrower colour chart, PVC downpipes are prohibited, and a full renovation moves façade cables underground.
Sóller charges 3.5 percent construction tax. Deià charges 4 percent plus a 2.4 percent licence fee, €19,200 on €300,000 of building cost, but on application cuts both by 95 percent for cisterns, solar and energy saving in existing houses.
In Sóller, demolition hammers stop entirely in July, August and around Easter. In Deià, heavy machinery runs from May to October only on weekdays from 10 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 6 pm. So demolition and excavation go into the cooler months.
Central Sóller is a low-emission zone with cameras, and contractors need temporary access, which the owner applies for with the licence. In Deià, heavier lorries need an exemption, applied for at least 15 days ahead, with a €1,000 guarantee per trip.
Then four short questions. We reply within one working day, with no obligation. We speak English, German and Spanish.
We cannot show a project of our own in Sóller or Deià here. Our reference project on Mallorca is a historic townhouse in Palma, converted into a loft with ceilings almost five metres high, limewashed walls, marès stone and oiled timber.
View projectAcross our two studios, most of our new work comes through recommendations from past clients. 5.0 stars on Google, 3 reviews for our Palma studio.
"After speaking with them, I knew I didn't need to look elsewhere. Thrilled with the result, highly recommend."
"They gave us excellent advice and ensured smooth implementation with their craftsmen."
"They quickly grasped my taste, found the perfect products, and arranged appointments."
"Tell us about your property, your timeline, what you are hoping for. We will come to you, listen, and present a concept and a realistic cost estimate, before you commit to anything."
We come to you · One project slot remaining for autumn 2026
