Three natural materials for one modern villa

Stone, wood and glass used by the architect Jorge Biblioni to create an exclusive residence in Palma de Mallorca, in a neighbourhood popular with celebrities

Son Vida, a suburb on the outskirts of Palma, is one of the most exclusive residential areas on the Island of Mallorca. It has become popular with many modern-day celebrities, including Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Annie Lennox and Pierce Brosnan, to name but a few. It is with good reason that it is sometimes referred to as “the Beverly Hills of Mallorca”. In this green and quiet district that is home to the island’s oldest and most prestigious golf course lies a modern villa with clean external lines. Its construction is an architectural, landscaping and interior design masterpiece. The author and architect Jorge Bibiloni, a young Spanish designer who discovered his vocation for interior and industrial design after completing a degree in engineering and moving to Milan to perfect his craft, worked for a number of years with both Marco Piva and Rodolfo Dordoni, as well as with Italian furniture specialists like Cappellini. His collaboration in Barcelona with renowned designer Francesc Rifé, followed closely by the opening of his own studio, helped him to define his own unique design style, which favours modest and timeless shapes. “I try to avoid anything that is not substantial,” explains Jorge Bibiloni in an interview with Ville&Casali. “In this instance, the materials selected for the project guided the choice of architectural style and the proportions and layout of the rooms. The construction relies on three basic materials: stone, wood and glass. Using these three materials, I have tried to create a clear and warm atmosphere that connects the inside of the house with the outside.” Bibiloni has constructed a building where the walls are fixed, the wood envelops and defines, and the glass gives a sense of fluidity and permeability to the spaces. The blonde oak panelling used in the large ground floor indoor pool, the bedrooms, the kitchen and the bathrooms exudes a comforting warmth.