When ceramicist Elisabeth Corberó bought Mas Perdu, she fell in love with its history and devoted herself to restoring it with an eye firmly on the traditional

Mas Perdut is a farm with a 300-year history, in Ampurdán, Girona. It was built in the 1700's and is an example of a typical farmer's house, surrounded by the fields of maize and hay that still fulfil their original purpose, and bordered by the River Ter. Its name, which has followed it since it was built, means ‘lost farm’ and alludes to the labyrinth of paths that one has to follow in order to reach Mas Perdut’s tucked-away location in the rural landscape.

Twenty years ago the house was brought by the present owner, Elisabeth Corberó. Elisabeth is a ceramicist, and started to completely renovate Mas Perdut with the aim of adapting it to suit her artistic work. She was inspired by the house's history, and was careful to keep the original walls, window frames and doors.

Drawing together the garden and the house is an expansive porch, featuring a rustic table purchased from an antiques dealer in Terrasa and wicker chairs from Can Batlé. The table is often set with ceramic crockery typical of La Bisbal. Next to this large table is a smaller marble bar table and green ironwork chairs. A trailing grapevine provides shade overhead.

Inside the house stone walls and wooden beams have been restored to their former glory and left natural with the occasional splash of soft colour. The reception area leads into the kitchen, dining/sitting room and a guest bathroom. On the first floor there is a similar hallway with doors leading to the bedrooms and bathrooms.

The lifetime of the house is recorded in a series of photographs and pictures along the downstairs hallway. They show Mas Perdut throughout the seasons of the year, ranging from when it was built to the final stages of its renovation.

To the right of the entrance hall is the dining room. The table and chairs are stained beechwood and were salvaged in Barcelona. The crockery, a mixture of soup dishes and plates, comes from the La Cartuja area of Seville, while the glasses are from the famous Borne factory in Barcelona. The lamp hanging from the ceiling is of forged iron, a piece made by a family ancestor. The curtains are repurposed sailcloths from Tapicerias Gancedo, acquired from an antique dealer. Elisabeth herself crocheted the tablecloth.

At the other end of the entrance we find the kitchen, typical of houses of this region, with small windows facing south. In the centre is a makeshift dining table from an antique dealer in Moneéis. The chairs were salvaged from the Encantes area of Barcelona. The floor is tiled with Catalan stone. The cabinets were built in the SAIA workshop of San Sadurni of Heura, and are made of pine. The stone sink is original to the farm.

On the first floor is a small room painted a calm blue leads into the bedrooms. It is a cheerful room, its tones inspired by the typical colours of Ampurdán. The owner painted the walls in a matt lime paint, mixed by a traditional method with a blue tint from clothes dye. The result is a wall that contrasts well with the stone of other rooms. From the ceiling hangs a lamp, also in blue, originating from Italy and acquired in Biosca & Botey, Barcelona. The blue-checked cloth is from the upholsters Viviana in La Bisbal. On the table are blue recycled glasses. The beechwood chairs are Valeri Corberó's design. The small armchairs are Isabelinos by Valerio Cobrero and the sketches by Elisabeth. In the corner is an old statue of the Virgin Mary, resting on a stone shelf, an original feature of the house, which used to watch over the place where farmers used to wash themselves.

Read the full story in our March 2008 issue.