One of the real estate traditions that makes buying a home in Ibiza so compelling is the ‘buying the lifestyle’ mantra. When you purchase a home in Ibiza you tend to buy everything you’ve seen in the viewing, though don’t be surprised if your seller’s pride of place Picasso is swapped out for a slightly lesser canvas expression. Point being, you sign, get your keys and your new bohemian life can start immediately, from the pillows on the beds, to the cutlery in the top kitchen drawer, everything is taken care of.
On about holiday #3, when the heady ‘I’ve got a home in Ibiza’ days have somewhat settled, you realise you want to put your own stamp on your house, you note that maybe not every painting needs to contain breasts, no matter how tasteful and whilst we are all full of respect for the Buddhist tradition, perhaps a statue of Buddha himself, albeit in a wide range of poses, is not essential in every single room.
So, where to go to make it your own?
1. Pomelo
Run by dream-team Wolfgang and Inga, this little gem of a company in San Jose will take care of all your curtain needs. Their clever curation effortlessly channels ‘Ibiza style’ in the classiest of ways. Say goodbye to your brocade, pinch pleat, Designer’s Guild days and embrace their fine array of floaty linens to dress your windows, durable outside fabrics and of course your all important outside curtains. The shop has plenty of cute little housey trinkets to pick up whilst you’re making your picks.
2. Hipermenajere
For the general public and also hotel and restaurant owners. This means that while you can pick from a wide range of tableware- from budget all the way through to Villeroy and Bosch- you also get to indulge secret pastry chef fantasies and buy over sized roasting trays and paella pans by dipping into the hoteliers sections. NB- it will seem like a good idea at the time, but the roasting tray will never fit into your conventional sized oven.
3. Sluiz
Because this is Ibiza, you will need some outrageous Ibiza styling, you just need to pick it yourself. Knock yourself out with irreverent Buddhas and tableware, retro furniture and all sorts of quirky mantelpiece ornaments that you never realised you couldn’t live without.
4. Textura
It’s time to let your White Company linen and towels go; you’re in Ibiza now, branch out. Textura has everything you need, from lightweight hamman style beach/pool/boat towels with a layer of thin towling material on one side, to soft neutral bathroom towels and bedlinen and sweet pieces to decorate a child’s room.
5. Zara Home
How could I not include this faithfully Spanish brand? Zara Home opened its doors in Ibiza less than a year ago. You know what Zara’s like. You walk in and want everything and it’s so cheap that you can actually have it all; then you look closer and realise why it is so cheap. But some things just cannot break. Like coat hangers: what a delectable selection of coat hangers Zara Home has, who knew that something as essential as coat hangers could be so exciting! And hand towels in sets of three and on-trend colours, so cheap that you don’t mind if you only like them for one season. And kids’ cutlery, bye bye Ikea and your coloured plastic, hello Zara Home and your old school stainless steel with teddy bears stamped on the handles! Guaranteed immediate, short-term, satisfation.
REFERENCES
Pomelo- Carrer sa Talaia, 9. In the heart of Sant Josep, the street that runs parallel to the main street, next to the playground!! Always helpful… Closes for the afternoon siesta, so Wolfgang and Inga can visit your house and hang your window treatments.
http://www.hipermenaje.com – on the edge of of Ibiza Town, across the car park from the large Eroski and two doors down from Carlin – for all your stationery needs.
http://www.sluizibiza.com – the main store is outside of Santa Gertrudis, with a small outlet store on the Sant Josep-Eivissa road.
http://www.textura-interiors.com – There is a branch on Calle Aragon in Ibiza Town and a newly opened one in Santa Eulalia
Zara Home Ibiza – 16, Carrer de Bartomeu Vicent Ramon, the port end of Ibiza Town.