A project with great passion in Mallorca

How to become a luxury home in a relaxed and welcoming family home? Jan Edwards meets a resident of Son Vida has made it ... finally.

"You have to live in a house for a while before we know how to suit your tastes," says the entrepreneur - who resides in this elegant home in Son Vida with her husband and young daughter. To get the effect you want after a renovation is not always easy. In the case of this building, it has taken three projects - the latest in a period of four years - to create a cozy home that they enjoy today.

Acquire the property owners for eleven years, an opulent villa in Son Vida and traditional. He enjoyed plenty of space (five bedrooms, six bathrooms and a garage for five cars), lots of natural light and views of the Bay of Palma. If you have plenty of money, time, and a good interior designer is not difficult to make the typical Son Vida housing remains great. But turning this house into a home that looks fabulous and suits both day to day in a family - to relax after work, enjoy family, or have guests - requires something more. Knowing the house and how the want to use is a good start.

It is clear that the owners of a house in Son Vida probably can afford all the best for your home, but this project shows that success can be combined with more upscale items with economic factors, in addition to their own artistic creations. This house includes accessories and items of Zara Home and Leroy Merlin, as well as suppliers of luxury items such as the famous London store Liberty. "It's about daring to combine things," the owner tells me. A good example is the lighting hanging over the dining room: silver spheres were very cheap and bought Leroy Merlin, "but the red lights must have been more expensive than I bought in my life!" The dining room table and the sideboard built them as a local company, F & I Kitchen and Bath, the same who was in charge of the kitchen cabinets. The carpet in the dining room table was made with fabric bought at Rialto Living.

The inspiration came from several sources. During a trip to Miami, the couple photographed some shelves that they liked. Majorcan craftsmen were responsible for building the shelves that now adorn the room based on the photos. The doors of this large room are also artisans, and replaced the original builder.

Feng Shui also played an important role in the project. Solera Jürgen Natalie Fengshui (www.solera-fengshui.com) was responsible for drafting a 28-page report following a consultation and revealed several problems to be solved: "The house was very elegant," Natalie says, recalling his first visit. "It looked like a typical house you would see in a magazine, but it was impersonal, it was cozy and friendly atmosphere was lacking, did not reflect the character of their owners."

Natalie analysis was based on the flow and power quality throughout the home. Recommended ways to improve the flow of energy and water elements to increase the potential for relaxation: "The house includes dark, bold colors, which in turn produced a strict and sometimes harsh environment. Overall, there was an excess of elements earth and metal. "

Water element was increased in several areas by adding different shades of blue (like the recliner chair in the cozy corner of the room) and silver, and the introduction of wavy-patterned fabric (in the seats for example, or lounge on the carpet of Designers Montefiore Guild in duck egg blue on the covered terrace, Knox Design). The focus of the house - very important in Feng Shui - is marked by a white lantern hanging in the huge room.

The outer zones of the house were the last to be treated and the employer requires the help of interior designer Justine Knox (www.knoxdesign.net) to find outdoor furniture, chairs, carpets and modular sofa covered terrace. "My client had been a couch in a magazine and wanted something similar," says Justine. "We found a modular arrangement of one of our Spanish manufacturers Comfort 2000, and we test the model in Naron showroom."

Tiana sent Designers Guild fabric manufacturer, to develop removable covers for each module. "The end result is an array of comfortable sofas, practical and versatile." Will complete the new look with armchairs and coffee tables Gloster Axis line, dining tables Westminster line Linea (Knox Design), and cushions of The Goose . The project demonstrates that you can successfully combine the indoor and outdoor furniture.

The entrepreneur also has a creative side and has incorporated some personal touches and unique charm and give more privacy to the house. When the outdoor terrace paved, painted terra cotta pots to give it more color. In the hall of the house, its velvet-covered colorful chandeliers are always a topic of conversation among your guests, and there are several pictures of his simple but striking, hanging on the walls. The main bedroom curtains were drawn Liberty lilac silk, and if you look closely, you'll see that there are drops of glass (hand-sewn with 'I Love Fabrics') on the web, to give a glimpse of the magic the sun morning. His personal and artistic touches have helped give a more family housing.

It's been a long project, but what was a rather impersonal luxurious villa is today an elegant family home, contemporary yet warm - testament to the creativity, open mind and faith in the principles of Feng Shui for this entrepreneur . Not to mention his patience and tenacity ...