This 18th

By Arantxa Neyra

Photography by Ricardo Labougle

“When I cook, I open the fridge and whip something up with whatever I find there. And that is also how I put this house together. The curtains are made from a fabric left over from a mat that was in the garden, the cushions use different pieces of fabric on each side, and almost everything you see was in one of my previous houses.” Those are the words of Jon Urgoiti, a veteran antiques dealer originally from Bilbao. He is currently in the process of retiring—or so he says, although he doesn’t quite believe it himself—and building a new home and life on the Spanish island of Mallorca.

An 18th-century Venetian Cabinet houses decorative objects, a collection of corals, and 18th-century Indian and English porcelain pieces. On both sides of the cabinet, there are glass sconces and four neoclassical Italian paintings. Also seen here are a pair of rustic silk upholstered armchairs by Pierre Jeanneret From India; a pair Of Swedish Gustavian footstools, upholstered In dedar fabric; a white Cabra Stone floor from Úbeda, Andalusia; and a Persian carpet.

A French pine and ceramic table stands in the centre of the dining room, flanked by Spanish wicker armchairs from the ’60s. A wicker lamp from Mallorca hangs from the Abaca ceiling. One wall of this room is lined with 18th-century Neapolitan tiles, with mirrored mosaics on both sides; on the wall are two 1950s round mirrors and a collection of 19th-century Chinese watercolours.

Lamps with coral details hang above a four-metre-long 19th-century Mallorcan pine table. At the rear of the room is a console table and doors with 18th-century Piedmont panels. On the wall, the Tela De Lenguas fabric (a Mallorcan version of ikat) is by Gancedo; the carpet is antique Persian.

The kitchen is decorated with recycled office furniture. The floor is made of 18th-century terracotta tiles, which were found in France. The lamp is by sculptor Clara Graziolino, the sconces are a ’60s design, and the repurposed antique beams are from Teruel, in the Spanish province of Aragon.

“Building”, in this case, is a bit of a figure of speech. The main structure of his three-hectare property, Son Beltrán, is a possessió—a Mallorcan farmhouse—that dates back to the 18th century, although it had been abandoned for more than 80 years when Urgoiti bought it. Today it is an imposing house, like something out of a film, but when Jon first arrived, there was nothing here but some ruins and undergrowth. The property, however, had orange and olive trees, and some majestic cacti—centuries old and taller than the building itself. It has taken almost five years and many headaches to bring the farmhouse back to life. During this time Urgoiti travelled back and forth from Madrid (at least when he was allowed to during pandemic restrictions). The initial plan was that he would use his island home as a weekend and holiday retreat, but one day something clicked and it led him to a new plan. He decided to close his house and his emblematic shop on Calle de Lagasca in Spain’s capital, leave his home on Ibiza as well, and settle in Mallorca full time and permanently.

Also read: Villa Uma: This home in Alibag gives sustainability a stylish, new sheen

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Kasturi Gadge

By Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar

On the left is a Lio Carminati cane armchair from the ’60s; on the right, a Spanish cane rocking chair from the ’80s.

A detail of a guest cupboard made with an 18th-century polychrome door from India.

A detail of the wall of the main shower with early-20th-century Spanish glazed ceramics.

Seen here are a French pine and ceramic table from the ’40s and Spanish wicker armchairs from the ’60s. Through the doors is the formal dining room with its 19th-century Mallorcan table.

This Hammam-like bathroom has an Italian mosaic floor, reclaimed antique marble elements, English fittings, and a 1950s Spanish leaded-glass door.

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Kasturi Gadge

By Vaishnavi Nayel Talawadekar

For the same amount of money he could have bought a “better house” and “surely made a better investment”, he admits. But he couldn’t help himself; this was the place that captured his imagination. And having spent several decades hunting for antiques, the possibility of seeing a building like this one rise from the ashes was too tempting to opt for instead of a generic holiday home. The views, the privacy, and having a plot of land where he could plant fruit trees, raise his Korean chickens, and throw lavish parties for his daughters, convinced him that this was the place. Urgoiti’s new home is a reflection of his life. He has curated his own compendium of treasures and surprising pieces, of stories and anecdotes from different parts of the globe, all in a home he designed himself. There is a library and a bar. There are antique Neapolitan tiles in the kitchen, and old lintels, doors, and jalis that give access to a labyrinth of rooms.

Also read: This Delhi home uses inlay, mosaic and glass to cleverly weave memories into architecture

A bedroom with a restored oak floor, natural Abaca ceiling, and wallpaper By Morris & Co. The Esparto Grass rug is from India, the 18th-century table is from Mallorca, and the Regency mirror is English.

In the kitchen is a custom sink with a backsplash made of 19th-century Neapolitan tiles. The island and other built-in pieces are by Paco Montañez In Sa Pobla, Mallorca. On the kitchen island, an antique basin from Nijar, in Andalusia. The curtains are an embroidered English fabric from Morris & Co. The recovered floor tiles are antique terracotta.

In the TV Room, a Morsø fireplace framed in ceramic tiles, a chair made of Mallorcan Olive wood, and a rug by Rug Company. On the wall are a pair of Italian neoclassical Gouache pieces. A pair of Esparto Grass Saddlebags hold wood, and the four French sculptures on the wall are from the 1950s.

Facing the sofa are a pair of 18th-century French armchairs reupholstered in Raffia and a 19th-century Mallorcan pine table. The antique ceramic basins are by Fajalauza in Granada. The fabrics are by Dedar and the Kazak carpet is from Turkey. A French antique wrought iron lantern hangs above the table.

A table with 19th-century Mallorcan chairs sit next to the pool. The wicker ceiling is custom-made, the antique stone columns are from India, and the antique marble floor is from Portugal.

A guest bathroom with an antique Roman mosaic floor in the shower, Tadelakt walls, and English fittings.

There are also original William Morris wallpapers, Russian chandeliers from St. Petersburg, and many pieces given to him by his “Indian family”, whom he has known for decades. There is even a place—an especially appealing niche—reserved for a toy from his childhood, a Pinocchio doll that he recently rescued from his parents’ house. Although he says this project is not a quick sprint but instead a long-distance trek—as he listens to Natalia Lafourcade while uncorking a good wine—he admits that he is happy with the result. “The initial plan was different,” he says. “I had a rendering made by my studio but as soon as I got to the house, I said, ‘forget it’, and I started to improvise. And I realized that this is what I wanted: something that doesn’t try to be sophisticated and that doesn’t look like the home of a decorator.”

Production by Loreto López Quesada; Translation by John Newton.