The idea of summering in Ibiza provokes very different reactions depending on the type of traveller. There are those for whom the combination of sand-fringed rocky coves and the steady thrum of Balearic beats holds the promise of happy, hedonistic days.
But others just have to imagine the hordes of revellers and they want to head straight for the hills – in some cases quite literally. For even during the height of the party season, there is another Ibiza to be found in the sleepier north.
We could have completely modernised, but we didn’t want to deny the house its original characterRoze de Witte
It was after holidaying in the area that Roze de Witte and Pierre Traversier decided to move to the island from Amsterdam two years ago. Set high above the azure sea and accessed via a dusty, single-track road, the couple’s home, Can Pep Juano, is surrounded by a rambling garden bursting with flowers that scent the warm air.
‘The garden was just one of the reasons we wanted to live here,’ says Roze. ‘It’s a lot bigger than what we were looking for, but what could we do? We fell in love. There isn’t a day that passes without some kind of work to be done outside.’ Halfway between wild and tamed, the garden also has numerous niches in which to perch; hammocks, shaded day beds, tables under trees and poolside loungers surround the traditional fincas rústicas, or Spanish farmhouse.
The traditional layout is impractical. But practicality isn’t in my dictionary – beauty isRoze de Witte
Despite the chorus of cicadas that rises over the rocky landscape it’s still way too quiet for some, but that’s exactly why Roze chose it; she and Pierre had divided their time between Paris and Amsterdam for a number of years, juggling the priorities of her job as a magazine editor in the Netherlands and his as a professional basketball player in France.
When Pierre decided to hang up his boots after a 25-year career, they decided to step away from big-city living, although Roze still regularly travels to Amsterdam for work.
‘I never thought I would find myself living in a house like this, surrounded by countryside, but here we are,’ she says. ‘It’s an old, traditional house so the layout is really impractical, but practical is not in my dictionary – beauty is. We could have completely modernised, but we didn’t want to deny the house its original character.’
The higgledy-piggledy nature of the house is the result of successive occupants adding new areas, creating a Tetris-like floor plan. The main bathroom, for example, is only accessible via the terrace, but Roze and Pierre are happy to live with these historical interventions.
To offset the tricky layout, an architect encouraged them to build en-suite bathrooms in each bedroom, but the couple resisted, preferring to keep the rooms’ generous proportions and exposed log ceilings. Instead, Pierre had the idea of building the guest bathroom in a tree.
This Robinson Crusoe-esque ingenuity satisfied both the planning laws that prevented any further extensions to the house and his childhood fantasy of living in a treehouse. Visitors get to bathe on a platform supported by the limbs of a tree – accessed by a boardwalk from the bedroom – and shower gazing at the island’s wild interior.
The house has been decorated in a similarly laid-back way with almost everything – furniture, art, textiles – coming from flea markets and vintage shops. ‘I love the juxtaposition of unexpected things,’ says Roze. ‘We try not to think about it too much. We buy what we like, most of it second-hand, and we just go with the flow.’
While Roze is inclined to curl up in a well-cushioned corner and dive into a book between sessions at her pottery wheel, Pierre enjoys socialising – impromptu fiestas with friends often include a game of basketball or billiards. An outdoor kitchen occupies the old bakehouse (fincas traditionally have a wood-fired stove for making bread) and provides a cosy spot to gather in the evening during the cooler months.
Life for the couple isn’t just one long holiday, however – they’ve just opened a nine-room guest house five minutes away. Los Enamorados is set in a century-old boat shed, in a small fishing village that’s a world away from the booming house beats on the other side of the island. Roze sums it up: ‘It’s an unpretentious place – people can hang out, soak up the sun and relax.’
Original article and pictures take www.telegraph.co.uk site
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