‘This contemporary take on a traditional Ibizan farmhouse complements its rugged setting with richly tactile, easy-going luxury. The customary sprawling design was adapted to suit the needs of modern life and open it to the landscape in which it, and its inhabitants, so comfortably live.’
Mention the Mediterranean island of Ibiza and, for most people, images of the party capital of the world spring to mind: hordes of tourists in nightclubs pumping with electronic dance music. Not rugged, rocky landscapes, wide open spaces and rustic charm. Yet most of the forested hills of the Spanish island are undisturbed, and its heritage and landscapes are carefully protected. South African interior designer Sumari Krige, co-founder of La Grange Interiors, designed the interiors of this holiday escape in the secluded north of the island, where development is ‘extremely regulated’ and acquiring a licence to build is almost impossible. The owners of this holiday escape, however, were lucky. They managed to secure a rare piece of land with an approved plan – unbuilt – albeit dating back more than a decade. It was one of the very last spots on the island that allowed them enough space to accommodate a large, lively family with five children under eight years old. Set high on a hill overlooking a valley to the north, and with views that stretch all the way to the ocean, it was surrounded by a local wine farm’s vineyard. From the highest point on the hillside, you could even glimpse the islands of Formentera and Mallorca on a clear day. The views revealed very little evidence of human habitation – it was perfect escape from urban life.
Sumari explains that the plan commissioned by the previous owners was for a modern villa. The new owner brought on board renowned local architect Rolf Blakstad, an expert in the local vernacular farmhouses, which are known as fincas. These white cubic forms traditionally grow and evolve over a lifetime (or even generations) as ad hoc additions are made as needed, giving them a rambling, spontaneous charm. Blakstad has compared them to children’s building-block constructions.
Over millennia, however, they evolved to perfectly suit the climate and are beautifully fitting for the setting, belonging as much to the landscape as the rocks and trees. Blakstad’s approach has been to adapt these vernacular forms for contemporary life, opening them to their surroundings, while sustaining a living tradition. Working with the original architect, Luis Garcia Lobo, Rolf reinterpreted the narrow footprint in his trademark style to create a contemporary finca nestled into the hillside. He also introduced the owners to Sumari, who had recently completed another holiday home for one of his clients on the island (a European who fell in love with her signature laid-back, richly textured and layered style on a visit to Cape Town).
Sumari’s grounded palette of neutral tones and textural accents is well suited to the white walls, local stone and beautiful exposed timber and ‘organic structural elements of the house’, as she puts it. The house, she says ‘is so calm and tactile that it created the most beautiful backdrop’. Rather than ‘furnishing rooms’, her approach involved subtly layering the architectural bones with natural elements to create easy-going but highly luxurious comfort. In some instances – such as the abundance of built-in furniture – quite literally. Her aim, she explains, was to ‘create an interior that spoke to the surroundings without being too predictable’.
The elongated, flowing, interconnected form of the house opens onto multiple courtyards, terraces and outdoor spaces. For every indoor sitting or dining area, there’s an outdoor one, ideal, as Sumari notes, for summer living and easy entertaining. She loves the ‘dreamy passage with lots of huge glass doors allowing natural light to stream in all day’. Here, she added sheer white curtains to catch the breeze and bring the space to life.
While it was a turnkey project – Sumari took care of everything, down to the art and crockery – her flair for eclecticism makes for interiors that are anything but uniform. She sourced pieces from Europe and Asia, and plenty from South Africa. She custom-designed key items of furniture such as sofas, which were manufactured in South Africa by La Grange Interiors, as was much of the other upholstery. She’s even used outdoor fabric indoors, not only for its liveability, but to work with the blurred distinction between indoors and out. ‘You just want to touch everything,’ she says. ‘You want to sink into the sofa because it’s feather and down.’ She used ‘lots of interesting fabrics, different weaves, lots of embroidery’. And she has thrown in African influences, too, including many South African artists, artisans and makers such as Orly Rabinowitz, Anthony Shapiro, Stanislaw Trzebinski, Richard Templeton Smith, Kristen McClarty and Theresa Jo Wessels. ‘The crockery is sourced from Wonkiware,’ she says. As much as the house ‘lives out’, she’s brought natural materials inside in the form of ‘organic shapes, wooden bowls and platters’. A standing lamp was made from a log. Despite her clients’ love of calming neutrals, she introduced her trademark touch of the occasional pop of pure, unapologetic glamour. A golden chair in the shape of a hand, a metallic glimmer on a lamp, or a sleek refined form to create contrast.
The result is relaxed and calming. Just as the architecture, despite its modernity, is nestled into its setting in a way that looks like it could have been there forever, so the interiors have a timeless quality. They help the house and its holidaying inhabitants feel connected to the setting, at home on the hillside and vineyards. ‘This home is not a showpiece,’ says Sumari.
‘It is designed to be lived in. It’s really about comfort.’