| Nevertheless, it was a labour of love and the result is an astounding home that’s aesthetically striking, beautifully inviting, and entirely liveable all at once. Here, the pair ruminates on the how the end result made every step of the unexpected journey worthwhile. |
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N: In Ibiza, it can be hard to find the perfect plot, especially one with existing building permits. After a long search, we stumbled across this beautiful plot in a remote protected area. Sixty acres of pine forest with views of mountains and the sea — it was incredible. And importantly, there are no roads, no cables and no neighbours! T: Ordinarily I’m a very cosy, warmhearted person and architecturally the original plans felt quite modern and cold and so we made a lot of changes. There was a lot of glass and white walls and so we replaced much of the glass with walls, adding warmth with plaster, wooden shutters and a wooden ceiling, and completely redesigning the internal layout of the house. N: Yes, this was the most important part of the project. We were determined to create a contemporary house full of warmth, which meant incorporating many natural materials and elements so that it would be in harmony with its surroundings and not just another contemporary white house. T: Inside the pallet was very warm and earthy, while outside we also created a space that blended well among the surroundings. We built over 2000sqm of dry stone walls with stone all collected from the land and our landscapers created a spectacular garden with plants well suited for pine forests. And for the stunning 25m pool we used black slate, which creates a kind of dark, mysterious blue that feels endless. |
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N: As we redesigned the layout, we had to try and profile our buyer to figure out how best to distribute the living space to optimise the liveability of the house. We’ve done many refurbishments but we’ve always worked with clients who have given us feedback, whereas this time we just had to abandon all that and just say, how would we want it? T: We decided to focus the house around a huge living room that opens out onto a terrace at the front of the house. All of the windows open and that creates this incredible inside-outside space, which is ideal for entertaining and Mediterranean living. N: In the end, we wanted its appeal to be enduring. We’re always surrounded by trends — something that’s considered hot one year isn’t the next, so the key was to make something timeless, which is what we tried to do. T: Yes, and it’s a wonderful house as a result. The architecture is powerful and it has such great flow. There is so much natural light and every window has a contrasting view, so the light sparkles slightly differently in each place. Plus it’s south-west facing and so close to the sea — in the evening light it looks magical. N: The evenings are the best! It’s just such an amazing spot to come back to after a long day swimming and watching sunset. It’s a very special place. |
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