For decades now, six humble but beautiful stone buildings have framed incredible views of the mountains around Ninghai County, China, with their high clerestory windows ? but nobody was ever inside to gaze out at them. Part of an old agricultural complex, the buildings were full of nothing but grain. When the site came under new ownership, ARES Partners were commissioned to transform it into a modern hotel that would take full advantage of the idyllic setting.

Thankfully, that never translated to tearing the historic structures down. Built in 1956, these brick buildings reflect the particular rural aesthetic sensibilities of Huchen Township, and leaving them intact imbues the project with both a unique character and a sense of connection to the past. To create the new Miya/LostVilla Hotel, the architects only had to make a few minor adjustments to the structures. The stone and brick of the granaries had been painted white many times over, so they started by scraping off all the layers to reveal the original textural surfaces underneath. They also enlarged those clerestory windows in both height and width, allowing in more natural light and enabling even more impressive views of the adjacent Tiantai and Siming Mountains.

Two of the buildings already had dramatic timber trusses hidden behind false ceilings, though the architects have since had them removed. Within the guest rooms themselves, the architects actually lowered the ceilings with the intention of giving them a ...