Blakstad Ibiza: Ibizan houses in dreamy surroundings

Text: Noelia Santana | Main Photo: Conrad White, Styling Loli San Vargas, Casa Itaca

White stone houses dotted around green hills overlooking the turquoise Mediterranean Sea is the picture-perfect idea of Ibiza. A local firm of design consultants has dedicated decades to keeping this dreamy vision a reality by fusing the Ibizan traditional style with functionality: houses that integrate into the surroundings.

Blakstad’s loyalty to rural Ibiza is reflected in every project it creates. When Rolph Blakstad moved to Ibiza from Canada, he quickly made it his home and taught the trade to his kids from a very early age, who followed the family tradition honouring the island’s folklore.

Photo: Conrad White, Styling Loli San Vargas, Casa Trull

His son, Rolf, is now head of design: “It is very important for us to build in harmony with the landscape and we do this by thorough study of the topography and vegetation of the terrain.” The perfect balance with the surroundings creates homogeneity within the overall structure. It means bringing the exterior indoors by working with the same materials, creating continuity, especially with the pavements and by opening the house with liveable outdoor areas that are as comfortable as the interiors.

The weather is a key factor: how to have spaces that are relatively protected from the heat in the warmer months but still bask in splendid sunshine during the brief Ibizan winters. Rolf is inspired by classic architecture and he wants to build spaces that are timeless, but also that adapt to their clients’ visions and lifestyle. Designs that combine functionality with a “sophisticated rustic” style, as Rolf puts it. But the most important thing is to create spaces that radiate warmth, homely houses from which to live the Ibizan island reverie.