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Best of two worlds

House in Palma dating from 1900 designed by Holger Stewen

The owner of this house settled in Mallorca 5 years ago with his wife but having started off living in a house in the countryside, they recently decided to move to Palma, closer to their furniture and design showroom. Their new home is situated on a steeply sloping site in a bohemian area of the city. Dating from 1900, the house is Mediterranean in style which arched doors and five levels of outdoor and indoor living space. As Holger says, "From street level to the kitchen we have a climb of fifty five steps, so carrying all the bottles and bags of shopping upstairs keeps us fairly fit." The main living space is situated upstairs on the first floor, where the master bedroom suite and the open plan living and dining area open onto terraces at the front and rear of the building. Stewen and his wife opted for a blue and white colour scheme, which they based on the existing tiles on the ground floor patio. "The decoration is a blend of styles inspired by our favourite places, Marrakech, Mallorca and Mykonos." states Stewen. "The terrace at the back with the Moroccan pots and the tiled plunge pool is Arabesque, the building itself is typical Mallorqui 'fin de siecle' , whilst the blue and white theme is reminiscent of Mykonos where we once had a home." Furniture consists of mainly French provincial antiques mixed with a collection of interesting paintings and pieces such as the 1940's armchairs covered in ultramarine velvet. With restaurants and nightlife on the doorstep, Stewen declares that he much prefers living in Palma. 'Life in the country was good, but here we have total privacy and plenty of outdoor space as well as the attractions of a lovely city. It really is the best of both worlds."