An Island Affair

What happens when you fall in love with Ibiza? You buy a bunker like, basic structure, and you simply wish to convert it into an attractively sexy house. Then, you would spend your entire holidays with your dearest friends and family in there. These were the basic questions that the owner, originally living in a far away exotic country, had on his mind.

The answer for these questions would come from his befriended artists from Holland, the free spirit architect and designer Jean Marc des Bouvrie, and the visual artist Patrice Aaftink. The owner was convinced that both would, undeniably, have the power to create a space from scratch till an amazing result from in and outside.

This contemporary two story house in Ibiza near the town Sant Josep de sa Talaia thus became their latest project. Patrice and Jean Marc always try to reinvent themselves with new ideas along with their clients. And the goal is to inspire the owner with their plan. This house called Tiger contemporary house is deeply extension of their wild imagination and smart ideas. Bright, bold, playful and daring seem the right expression for the entire house. The clarity and the sensuality of every room in the house is truly whimsicality in luxury.

An interview with Jean Marc des Bouvrie and Patrice Aaftink, the creative force of the architecture and interior design of the house.

What is the most interesting thing about this house?
Everything is custom designed and custom made.

What was the biggest challenge on this house?
The house was originally built around the year 2000. It was like a bunker with very small windows, but the basic of the structure of the house had a lot of potential to become a beauty. The demolishing took 3 months as we changed the whole infrastructure and had to kick out the bunker feeling and give the house a new heart. The big challenge was getting the house ready before summer time, so the owner could enjoy ‘Summer in Ibiza’. We had 7 months to do this. We worked with a team of 30 people continuously 6 days a week. We lived on the property, in the guesthouse 200 meters away. Practically, we were 24/7 on the spot so that we could immediately accommodate any changes in the design.

Was there any interior concept of this house?
The concept was to make it sexy, arty, and surprising.

How many rooms in this house? How many bedrooms and bathrooms?
Before the remodeling, the house had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a guest toilet. After the remodeling there are 4 bedrooms and 4 en-suite bathrooms, and a guest toilet.

How different this project from your previous projects?
We had all the freedom of the owner to go wild with ideas on the design and integrate it with the newest technology. The owner loves modern design and art and wants to have everything custom designed. So you could say the house is a piece of art as everything is custom designed. Also, since the owner wanted to have a tropical feeling, we planted around 150 mature palms and other trees in the garden (garden design in collaboration with the owner).

Would this interior of the house be your signature style? What one must do to make a living room could look more impressive?
Our signature: a difficult word as you get stuck on it forever. We like ‘free style design’ as we tend to go with the flow while having a big love for light, white, open spaces, art and atmosphere. Regarding your last question, we have to see it first and then ideas will start popping up what that space needs. To have a close collaboration with the owner is also crucial. So our advice would be for sure:  invest in your lighting & art to create unique atmosphere.

Describe the uniqueness of the main bedrooms
There are 2 master bedrooms in the tower, which we called: King and Queen. The 2 smaller bedrooms: Prince & Princess. We used the round form of the two towers as the theme for the design, interior, sanitation like the two big round bathtubs. The owner decided on big oval windows. Jean Marc designed the round beds with LED (in the 2 ‘tower’ bedrooms) and light objects like ‘Cosmos’.

Could you describe more about the concept of the dining room and the bar?
The bar used to be a dark corner with a small window next to the dining area. The owner already owned a photo by photographer Tony Kelly, which we call the ‘Cow’ girl. The photo inspired us to implement Jean Marc’s wild cowboys’ barstool designs and create a bar in that atmosphere. Regarding the dining area, to achieve more light & intimacy we installed big harmonica windows so you can create an open space in direct contact with the green patio outside.

Who did the lighting design?
Jean Marc des Bouvrie is the lighting designer and made the light plan of the house. He created the 3 big light sculptures in the living room, dining room and the ‘Cosmos’ in the Queen’s bedroom. The focus of the house is really on lighting as it’s one of the most important things in a house. There is about 500 meter RGB LED installed in the house. All is controlled via Domotica (including the security cameras and the gate).

Is there anything else you wish to emphasize about this beautiful house?
The customed design ROCKS. You can never find it anywhere.

“Think big & bold.
Listen to your own ideas = Re-invent yourself.
And then just do it.”

Basic Information:

Land area: 31.500  m2
Building: 600 m2  including terraces & 300m2 without terraces
Floor plan: First floor ; Entrance, living, bar, dining are, kitchen, terrace with table ‘Stairway to heaven’, Master bedroom, guest toilet, staircase to roof terrace.
Ground floor: 3 bedrooms & bathrooms with terrace to pool, laundry room.
Location:  Spain, Ibiza, near the town Sant Josep de sa Talaia
Architecture:  Jean Marc des Bouvrie (re-construction architectural design)
Interior: Patrice Aaftink & Jean Marc des Bouvrie
Lighting design: Jean Marc des Bouvrie