A FRANK CHAT WITH CLÉMENCE PIRAJEAN

In our interview with Clémence Pirajean - one half of London-based interior design, product design and creative direction studio PIRAJEAN LEES - we take a look behind the scenes of the incredible gem that is Sea & Stone: A five-bedroom townhouse that has been carefully crafted into its current shape by fusing two neighbouring historic buildings into a modern and comfortable private residence. 

Sprawled atop the rugged cliffs that look out to Formentera on one side and UNESCO World Heritage Site Dalt Vila with its bustling port on the other, Ibiza Town’s Sa Penya quarter evokes tales of the island’s past. With its cobbled pathways, sharp corners and intriguing nooks and crannies, walking its winding streets will take you back to the days of humble fishermen, pious locals and daredevil pirates. And finding a property in this historic and well-guarded area could indeed be compared to stumbling across a treasure chest to have the rarest of diamonds fall into your hands.

From stripping the buildings down to their bare bones before reconfiguring layouts, room distribution, and the ‘flow’ of the property to creating an interior design concept that honours the key elements of Ibiza’s distinctive architectural style and local craftsmanship, PIRAJEAN LEE’s first Balearic project has resulted in a warm and welcoming home​ that honours island culture while providing a comfortable and spacious base at the heart of Ibiza history. 

Thank you for your time, Clémence! Can you tell us a little bit about your connection to Ibiza?

My partner and I started coming to the island just under 20 years ago and what I loved about Ibiza is that there were people from all sorts of different backgrounds and walks of life, creatives and artists, and everyone was mixing together. I loved that it was very laid back, and at the time there was nothing pretentious about it. There is a specific pace about the island. I love escaping to the North, or going for a drive in spring to see the almond blossom and that rich red soil. There is so much you can do, and we still discover new little coves and places all the time. 

A property like Sea & Stone doesn’t come along very often. How did you acquire this gem?

It was completely different when we acquired it, because it is actually made up of two adjoining properties. We purchased an old fishermen’s house that was in ruins, which is now the seaside-facing part of the building. When we bought it, we couldn’t even access all of the rooms. Half of the upper level didn’t have a floor, it had all collapsed, and there was no roof on most of the building. It was our ambition to create a small one-bedroom ‘village-esque’ house. But when we started our renovations, the neighbour behind us asked if we were interested in buying his property, which was an entire building facing out to Calle de la Virgen. So we completely changed our project and it turned into a five-bedroom house with a roof terrace!

How extensive was the renovation process?

We refurbished everything. Of the first building that we purchased there was hardly anything we could keep structurally, but we retained the existing stone walls that were beautiful pieces of history. In the second building, we completely reconfigured the layout - we even moved the staircase to make the most of the spaces!


What was your vision for the interior design and decorations?

We wanted to remain very authentic to the island - the traditional ways of building and the materials - so it’s a mix of stone walls and chalk finish, and there are timber beams in some rooms. We have also worked with a lot of local construction workers and artisans. All the joinery, whether it’s the doors to the rooms or the doors of the wardrobes, were all made by a local joiner with local timber. We also introduced a lot of rattan and for that, we worked with a local family business called Junco Y Mimbre, who are based at the entrance of the harbour where they have a huge exhibition space, rugs and headboards. We have bespoke tiles on the floor that were inspired by the traditional Spanish tiles, and that we had made with our own colours and patterns.  We also commissioned local artists to create bespoke pieces for the house, like the straw-based sofa and woven lamps. We tried to use natural materials and integrate the human touch as much as we could.


Now that everything is finished so beautifully, what are your favourite spaces and corners of the house?

In the off-season, I love to put on the fire in the living room - and in the summer it’s an amazing spot to watch the boats go in and out of the harbour. The kitchen and dining room, you just open the blinds and the curtains just float. The bedrooms are great as well because you look inside the port, and you can see all of the activity.

It’s an incredible location, how do you find living at the heart of Dalt Vila?

We are quite lucky because even though the property is situated at the end of one of Ibiza Town’s most famous streets for nightlife, Calle de la Virgen, we are not at the heart of the action where the bars are. So all of the buzz is just a short stroll away, but we are at the quiet end. And it’s also wonderful in the off-season to be so close to what goes on ‘behind the scenes’ of Ibiza. If you come in the winter, you are not too isolated and there is still a bit of life.

How do you envision the ‘ideal buyer’ for Sea & Stone?

This house is a real allrounder because it’s hard to find townhouses with that many bedrooms, and this property allows groups of eight to ten people to all stay under the same roof. So whether it’s for families or groups of friends, it should be people who really embrace being at the core of this incredible part of Ibiza Town. It’s fantastic for older people, too, my parents love staying there.  It’s a house that we absolutely love and I hope that we find someone who loves it as much as we do, and who can use it in a really nice way.

Are you not tempted to keep it?

It’s tempting, but we have already found our next adventure, which is a home in Formentera - so we’re not going too far. This was our first project in the Balearic Islands and we learned a lot about how the island works. We just love having a project!

Sea & Stone is exclusively listed with Fantastic Frank Ibiza. For further information get in touch with ibiza@fantasticfrank.com.