MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME
The Berrow brothers on building community in Mallorca.
“It started as a one-off project…”
April 22, 2024
This interview is also available in Spanish here.
Berrow Projects was founded in 2018 when brothers Archie and Monty Berrow took on the challenge of renovating a dilapidated townhouse in Sóller, Mallorca, where they used to spend their family holidays. Taking on the roles of project managers, designers, and part of the labour force, this project marked the beginning of their vision to create spaces that respect heritage while fostering community and connection.
Just off the street that French merchants used to take to access the heart of Sóller, set against the Tramuntana mountain range, we find ourselves at Berrow Projects. Through the glass façade, one can’t help but peek into the studio’s contemporary yet timeless décor: sleek furniture and colourful art coexisting with traditional Mallorcan beams, arches, and large stone paving. Wooden-framed double doors open onto a back garden. The outdoor sofas are covered; it’s April and it’s been raining.
More Than a Firm
Archie Berrow (London, 1992) welcomes us inside. His brother Monty (London, 1995) arrives minutes later. Throughout the morning, we see people coming in and out, snacking on the croissants that a mysterious someone has left for us on the table. “The team has come together slowly but is now pretty much complete,” says Archie. This team consists of ten people — a mix of top designers, architects, creatives, and industry specialists — who take every project from start to finish with the help of local artisans, suppliers, and labour.
“We have architecture and sales in-house,” explains Monty. “This allows us to have direct communication and relationships with the buyers, and receive ongoing feedback once they move in.” However, this isn’t common in the industry. Typically, a developer works with a constructor, an architect, and a real estate agent — the latter acting as the buyer’s point of contact. According to the brothers, this setup is ‘transactional’ and doesn’t allow for much transparency.
The Berrow team, keeping everything in-house.
Berrow Projects is, more than a firm, a brand, as they put it. “We stand behind our projects,” declares Archie: a commitment supported by a 10-year warranty plan that comes with every property sale. “If there’s a problem, we just fix it.” He admits this operating model to be riskier. “But it pushes us to be better.”
Plus, handling their own sales has a clear advantage: it allows them to share the stories behind the developments. Recently, while renovating a property’s main archway, they discovered an even larger arch that once led to the stables. “It’s exciting to uncover these original elements because they bring their history back to life,” says Monty. Meanwhile, Cristina, a team member from Sóller, often collaborates with locals, heritage committees, and archaeologists to unearth these stories.
The idea of integrating property development, architecture, and real estate into one business came to them ‘organically’ and ‘instinctively’. “We’re not pushing major boundaries, really,” they explain, “but looking to improve the way things are done. We saw we could get the job done better ourselves, so that’s it.”
A Family Affair: How Berrow Projects Came to Be
It seems the entrepreneurial spirit runs in the family. Archie and Monty’s parents used to buy rundown houses and reform them into family homes, living in them for a few years before selling them off. “We grew up on construction sites, so, without realising it, we had property development ingrained in us,” tell the brothers. “Our parents didn’t have a commercial mindset, though. It was more a consequence of putting their time and effort into building a family home.” Their mother would be the designer behind every project, informally. “She just has very good taste,” says Archie. “She’s extremely critical,” adds Monty. They laugh.
Their father, a former manager of the English pop-rock band Duran Duran, used to escape the mayhem of the 1970s music scene at a friend’s in Fornalutx, near Sóller. This connection eventually led the family to holiday in Mallorca every other summer. Finally, about a decade ago, their parents settled on the island, and shortly after, the brothers followed.
In 2018, they decided to embark on their first real estate venture: Patiki House, a 500m2 derelict property they renovated from scratch, taking on roles as project managers, designers, and part of the labour force. “It started as a one-off project,” recalls Archie. At the time, he was working part-time on boats, but that alone didn’t cover the costs. “We put everything we could into it, and risked a lot.”
Patiki House, a little haven tucked away off one of the main streets in Sóller.
Monty Berrow, left, and Archie Berrow, right, during renovations at Patiki House, their first project.
It isn’t easy to navigate the initial challenges but, ultimately, what’s helped them succeed? The brothers agree that it’s consistency, and trust: “You find the people who are the best at their job, then trust them to do it,” says Archie. Trust is ingrained in everything they do, from their non-bureaucratic way of working to their risk-taking. “It’s something that we grew up with,” observes Monty. “Our dad, if you said you wanted to do something, he’d say ‘Go for it!’ And he genuinely believed it.” He pauses. “You have to believe you can do something.”
Beyond Housing: Building Community
In 2019, eager for a new challenge, the Berrow brothers decided to enter the hospitality business with Patiki Beach. “That first summer was pure friends and family helping out,” Monty recalls. “We invited them to Mallorca for a ‘free’ holiday, and they ended up painting walls, working ten-hour shifts,” he laughs. “We were really just figuring it out.”
Patiki Beach is a farm-to-table restaurant on the beach of Port de Sóller with a laid-back, unpretentious vibe. Its current managers also own the farm that brings all the fresh seasonal produce to their dishes, and even desserts — the beetroot lemon sponge cake and the sweet potato and gingerbread pudding will surprise your palate. Behind this menu is Grace Berrow, their chef cousin, who brought with it “a new food scene that didn’t exist in Mallorca,” as Monty puts it.
Farm to table at Patiki Beach.
But the lively meeting spot for friends and family alike isn’t their sole focus beyond property development. Two years ago, the brothers turned their attention to restructuring and improving the facilities at Sóller Tennis Club. “It’s a community investment,” says Monty. “The whole purpose of this club is to uplift Sóller, not only for newcomers but especially for the people who’ve been living here for years.”
He reflects that building social traction is easier when there’s a place “where people can come together and spend the day.” On Fridays, everyone gets together to play padel, meet new people, and have a drink. In any case, the brothers’ main focus has been on growing the children’s tennis school. Parents can drop their kids off or hang around at the cafe or on the terrace with their own food and drinks. “Bringing people together, seeing them have a good time as a result of something you’ve created: community,” confirms Archie, “that’s the real reward.”
Tennis courts at Sóller Tennis Club with panoramic mountain views.
Mon Cor, Home of a Foraster
“Mon Cor has been the first project we’ve finished as a whole team,” explains Archie, “we did things faster, better, more our way.” Their latest finished home is a four-story townhouse in the centre of Sóller, built by a French merchant who fell in love with a local girl and, in 1903, decided to settle on the island.
A contemporary home that balances tradition with modernity, which, according to Archie, isn’t easy to achieve: “You don’t want them to compete.” In true Berrow style, the property retains its character through key original features such as the floor tiles and grand staircase, which have been meticulously restored. They’ve kept all the original shutters and doors but modified the interiors to include double glazing that meets modern sound insulation standards.
On Mon Cor’s top floor, a place for refuge, the master suite connects to a reading room with panoramic mountain views. Before 2020, this space wouldn’t have been built, “but now people want to do more remote work,” says Monty, “meaning they can spend more quality time with their family.”
Indeed, the team pays special attention to the design of spaces for reunion, particularly in the kitchen and dining room, which they consider the heart of the home. The great room at Mon Cor features a custom-designed dining table that extends from the kitchen island and anchors the room. “Our clients choose us because they value the effort required to restore such heritage, and the attention to detail,” notes Archie.
Mon Cor’s kitchen area and one of the bedrooms, both fully equipped.
Details, as someone once said, are where the magic lies. They’re what separates a trip from a quest, a design from a vision, a plan from a purpose, and when Berrow Projects steps in, they can turn four walls into something more — a place to call home.