A Moody, Minimalist “Forest Estate” in Ibiza by Hollie Bowden
New from one of our favorite recent discoveries, UK-based designer Hollie Bowden: a four-bedroom holiday house sited on a wooded property on the Balearic Island of Ibiza. “The brief was to create a bohemian vacation home; unpretentious, serene simplicity with luxurious comfort, a little bit romantic and a little bit magical; high on ambience and warmth,” Bowden says. “The clients had seen my previous work and trusted my vision, they gave me a lot of creative freedom. They were keen for the scheme to incorporate more investment and statement pieces; with an emphasis on rare, unique items; they actively encouraged me to lean into my penchant for sourcing the more unusual and unexpected pieces.
“I chose an earthy and neutral palette and used natural materials throughout the house. But I also included some modernist pieces to punctuate the design; it was a careful balance. We were going for a textural and elemental space, with tonal warmth and ambience. The whole design was to be restful and peaceful.”
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Photography by Genevieve Lutkin Studio.
Above: “The custom, nearly 10-foot-long live-edge slab table is made from 200-year-old walnut with a bespoke bench and a rope end chair,” Bowden says. “The art work is by Danish painter Sergej Jensen, and the wall sculptures hanging on the wall between the dining room and kitchen are by Natalie Rich Fernandez and were bought from Galeria Tambien in Ibiza.”
“Sourcing beautifully aged antique furniture and artifacts that can sit at ease alongside the more contemporary pieces is a practice I have refined over the years, but it’s a process,” Bowden says. “I’m such a magpie, I gather and collect as I go using instinct and wisdom. I love going to Paris and other flea markets around the world.”
Above: A collection of primitive-looking objets on display in the kitchen. “We worked with a local company to create a really beautiful mineral plaster, which we used throughout the entire house.”Above: The kitchen is spare and functional.
Above: A Joe Colombo Elda Chair (1963) is flanked by a vintage German medical lamp in the living room. The monumental coffee table is made from fossil stone—”it took about 20 men to lift it,” Bowden says.Above: A Picasso plate hangs above a charred wood chair found at Les Puces in Paris in the hallway. The rough unfinished stone steps complement the soft mineral plaster walls.Above: A suite of Alexis Gautier tapestries hangs alongside a 1950s bronze flower wall light in a hallway.Above: The rustic bed linens are from UK-based Stitch by Stitch, which creates handmade and small batch production textiles working with artisan weavers, embroiderers, and quilt makers in Gujarat in India, Nepal, and England.Above: A rustic chest serves as bedside table.Above: Hand-embroidered tapestries by Alexis Gautier; Gautier used silk and cotton thread and metal in this piece.Above: A semi-elliptical arch is draped with a Berber rug.Above: “We sourced natural stones which were hewn and carved into sinks,” Bowden saysAbove: A guest bedroom. Throughout the project, Bowden used forest green Belgian linen curtains to subtly reference the house’s surroundings.
Above: The lamp is by Laura Huston Ceramics.Above: A view of the shower.Above: “We worked with a Belgian maker on the sanitaryware, which is hand beaten so has really lovely imperfections,” Bowden says.Above: The wall-to-wall bespoke trough sink is fashioned from a single slab of Spanish habana stone.
For more Hollie Bowden, see:
The Feminine Mystique: Model Lizzie Bowden’s Notting Hill Apartment