At PAGODA RED, we gravitate toward natural materials, objects with history, and creative reuses—no surprise, then, that we love traditional stone troughs reimagined as sink basins. Over the years, we’ve worked with clients who have incorporated troughs as sink basins in sleek Chicago apartments to outdoor garden areas in rustic lake houses in California. The stone sinks can “float” on a wall or be integrated into a counter. We became even more enamored with traditional troughs as sinks after seeing Tramuntana Farmhouse, the idyllic home of Leigh and Pille Morgan on the Balearic island of Mallorca.

In the farmhouse, two stone troughs reimagined as sinks create a true mood —one in the outdoor kitchen and the other in a small powder room on the first floor. Of course, stone abounds on Mallorca, particularly marés, the local sandstone carved from Mallorca’s cliffs. Throughout the island, stone villages and churches meld into a landscape of wild olive trees, pine, and oleander. A stone bridge, the Pont Romà, has transversed the Torrent de Sant Jordis for centuries.

Leigh and Pille have more than a passing familiarity with Mallorcan architecture—they’re longtime residents and co-owners of the rental home company Morgan & Morgan. In 2019, the couple decided to look for a finca, or farmhouse, after outgrowing the townhouse they were living in with their toddler. Ideally, the new house would be near Pollença, a historic town in the north of the island, where they work and have friends and family.

When the Morgans found the farmhouse, it was dark and dated, but with immense potential. Pille redesigned it into an inviting, chic home, although she’s quick to note that she’s not an interior designer. Still, her background in the arts and understanding of Mallorcan architecture resulted in a home that builds beautifully on the history and Mediterranean sensibilities of the island. As Pille notes, “The main focus was to bring in that slow Mediterranean feeling.” Leigh agrees, “It’s keeping it simple.”

The trough sinks complement the Spanish stone used throughout the home, while creating sculptural focal points in each space. The outdoor trough sink fits seamlessly into a open air kitchen full of natural materials, while the indoor sink feels almost  modern against gray walls. Both are wonderful echoes of the landscape outdoors. 

Tramuntana farmhouse is a home designed for family life, gatherings with friends, and relaxing in the Mediterranean sunshine. It’s also a reminder that a stone trough sink—whether in an urban space, a vineyard, beach or a Spanish isle —is a unique way to embrace nature in design, allowing water to rush over stone, as it has since time immemorial. 

For more information about Tramuntana Farmhouse, please visit Morgan & Morgan.

Photos by Pernilla Danielsson

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