Island paradise This holiday villa is the perfect tranquil hideaway

A WHITE WASHED VILLA SURROUNDED BY LUSH GREENERY MAKES A TRANQUIL HIDEAWAY FOR SARAH, A BUSY FASHION COMPANY CEO

When fashion CEO Sarah arrives at her holiday home, located on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza, she swaps the hustle and bustle of her busy corporate life in London for beautiful birdsong, barbecues and enchanting bushland views. “In summer the sounds coming from the garden are incredible,” she says. “During the day you hear birds and cicadas – and at night, my favourites, the scuffle of resident porcupines.”

With more than 23 years in the fashion industry working for brands such as Prada, Donna Karan, Stella McCartney, Christopher Kane and Dundas, Sarah is something of a fashion heavyweight. As her career flourished and her professional life became busier, her trips to Ibiza became more frequent and she realised that the island offered a necessary counterpoint to her very competitive life in London – so much so, she began to look for a home there.

“The need to escape through travel runs quite strongly in our family,” she says with a laugh. “I grew up in England, but our parents instilled a love of Africa in us from early on, thanks to regular holidays there.” When Sarah first travelled to Ibiza in the early 1990s to experience the island’s legendary music scene, she felt an unmistakeable sense of deja vu. “I found an earthy sensibility here in the light, the seasons, the colours and even the landscape that feels quite similar to parts of Africa,” she explains.

But two years of searching for a holiday home delivered nothing. Until 2015, when her estate agent finally showed her a house near the centre of the island that captured her imagination. “It was way bigger than what I was looking for,” says Sarah, of the 320 square metre house on a gargantuan plot. “It had an awkward layout with a tower at its centre and a disproportionately large garage and storage room that blocked out most of the views – but I knew straight away it was right for me.”

That Sarah could immediately see how to capitalise on the home’s generous spaces and lovely proportions is what sealed the deal. Her surprisingly simple solution was to turn the layout on its head, transforming the former garage into a summer living area, the former storage area into a new kitchen and one of the downstairs bedrooms into an all-important entrance hall. The home’s original minuscule kitchen was incorporated into the ensuite bathroom of a guest bedroom downstairs, while the tower has a more low-key approach now thanks to the lopping off of its turret.

Laid out on two levels, the house features two living areas on the ground floor: a winter lounge that leads to the pool area and a summer one next to the kitchen have answered Sarah’s need for different spaces for different moods and periods of time, both inside and out. “The renovation process was quite serendipitous in that, although I didn’t need an architect for what I wanted to do, I did have to have sign-off from one and I was incredibly fortunate to have the expertise of Victor Beltrán, whose work resonated completely with what I wanted to do,” explains Sarah. The same is true of her builder, Bernard Wybo, who was so efficient that the entire process took just six months to complete. “The original house was incredibly well-built with solid wooden doors and windows that I was able to reuse by stripping them back to their lovely raw state.”

Sarah’s approach for the beautiful interiors was to create a calm, neutral space with lots of earthy textures and tones. “I like a combination of upholstery, wood, bamboo and ceramics mixed up with African artefacts and indigenous textiles,” she says. “I love the feeling of finding something special.” Those boxes ticked, all that’s left for Sarah to do is to relax and enjoy the results with her family and visitors in a place that is indeed, truly special.

pieces “I FAR PREFER BUYING VINTAGE with character THAN SOMETHING BRAND NEW OUT OF THE BOX” ~ SARAH

“‘I’VE ALWAYS LOVED VINTAGE one CLOTHING special AND thing USUALLY WEAR WHEN I DRESS RATHER THAN AN ENTIRE CO-ORDINATED LOOK” ~ SARAH

EASY LIVING Set on a 10,000 square metre plot in the middle of the Spanish island of Ibiza, Sarah’s holiday home is defined by stunning views of bougainvillea, bushland and multiple outdoor areas in which to relax. She bought the traditional farmhouse in 2015 and renovated it to modernise its kitchen, bathrooms and living spaces. The swimming pool and sunken fire pit were existing features, but Sarah, who welcomes guests such as her nieces (pictured opposite), enclosed the fire pit with a low wall to make it more of an intimate space. >

KITCHEN & DINING Sarah opted for a utilitarian look when designing the kitchen (below & opposite far right), with a spacious concrete island, wire industrial style pendant lights (get the look with ‘Jatani’ wire lampshades from Amara), and burnished copper tapware to add a hint of glamour. The home’s original kitchen was tiny and awkward, so Sarah repositioned it in the spacious former storage area. The open shelf at the front of the island is filled with Wonki Ware crockery from South Africa, while the adjacent dining area boasts a mid-century feel, with vintage Robin Day ‘Hillestak’ chairs surrounding a timber table.

OUTDOORS An outdoor dining area with a traditional Spanish timber roof (top left) was added to create a formal entrance to the home. Sarah, pictured with her nieces, Annella and Rosa, bought the two oversized pendants in Bali – for similar, try ‘Indie’ handwoven lights from Uniqwa.

KITCHEN Solid timber drawer fronts and cupboard doors add warmth and a traditional farmhouse feel to the modern concrete kitchen cabinetry (top right). The minty green crockery is mirrored in the pendant, bought in Weylandts in South Africa. >

LIVING AREA In the summer living room (right), texture abounds. Sheepskins from the Organic Sheep Company bring cosiness to an Ikea ‘Kivik’ modular sofa in Orrsta Light Grey, while a Berber rug bought on a trip to Morocco adds comfort underfoot. Much-loved wicker furniture is complemented by a collection of earthy woven baskets from Africa. A trio of hanging lights to the left of the fireplace from London vintage store Retrouvius add to the room’s eclectic bazaar feel. The painting next to the fireplace is by Australian artist William Mackinnon.

SITTING AREA The arched door frames in the winter lounge (top left) were part of the original fittings, but Sarah had them sanded down and left in their raw state to add a natural feel to the space.

MAIN BEDROOM With its rustic timber-beamed ceiling and soft pink walls (try Dulux Camisole Quarter), Sarah’s upstairs bedroom is a haven of calm. It is accessed via a dressing room area (below) that then leads up to the main bedroom (opposite, where Sarah relaxes). The wooden cupboard is from an antique shop and the Hans Wegner daybed is from Skandium. On the bed (opposite), the salmon bedlinen from Linge Particulier in France is overlaid with throws from Morocco. Both the bedside tables and lamps are all by Arne Jacobsen. A weathered timber bench adds a farmhouse touch to the room – try Alissias Attic & Vintage French Style for similar. For a round jute rug, try Armadillo & Co. >

GUEST BEDROOM The spare bedroom upstairs (top left & right) leads out onto its own terrace with incredible views. The built-in bed, made from traditional Spanish building materials dry stone and mortar, was already there when Sarah bought the home, but she painted it white and topped it with gorgeous bedlinen from Linge Particulier in France and an attractive throw from Morocco.

BATHROOM The downstairs bathroom (right) is adjacent to a guest bedroom and interestingly takes up the space of what was a very small kitchen. A stone basin adds character to the room – get the look with the ‘Bowman’ oval concrete sink from Schots Home Emporium. >

GUEST BATHROOM The guest bathroom (opposite) is a dreamy space with textured concrete-look walls, a tactile stone basin from local Ibizan shop Can Castello and terracotta pavers laid in a herringbone pattern providing rustic flooring – get the look with ‘Cotto Arrotato’ tiles from Eco Outdoor. A reclaimed and salvaged brass mirror (for similar, try Life Interiors) and upcycled vintage wall lights add sophistication.

SITTING ROOM A built-in sofa in the winter lounge room benefits from upholstered cushions, while the Beni Ourain rug is from one of Sarah’s trips to Morocco. The chic mid-centuryfeel coffee table with mosaic top was found at Vinterior. The ‘Anglepoise’ lamp is from the Midcentury Fair in London, while the photograph to the right of the fireplace by the late American photographer Slim Aarons continues the cool retro vibe.