I thrive on fresh air flowing through the house at every opportunity summer or winter

Naturally, all climates and environments affect the way we live and how we create our homes. This is why I find it so fascinating and endlessly inspiring to observe how we keep the sun out, light out and the cool in while in similar temperature conditions as we have here in Mallorca. And then the heat in and light in with the cold out while staying with our cousins at the bottom of a ski hill in British Columbia in minus 30. Similarly both using as little glass and as much solid wall as possible, a combination of stone and timber in different degrees. I realise the glass we work with now is super intelligent but it does go against the grain! At home, as an interior design practise we spend most of our design time conjuring up ways to bring the light and the outside in, while also keeping the heat in.

Our little villa here does the job brilliantly until I worked out that throwing open the dark green shutters and windows every morning defeated the object. Keep the natural light ‘out’ or the cool interior becomes a hot house. At home I thrive on fresh air flowing through the house at every opportunity summer or winter, nothing worse than stale air. But here I have learned to open one window out of the sun at each end and let the breeze through.

It takes some adjusting to seeing indoors for one task or another with the endlessly adjusting of various light sources. However, aesthetically the owners have been considerate by combining wall lights, up lights and wall washers along with table lamps to great effect as a tiled roof does not allow for ceiling lights. The rest of the colour and light comes from the simple decor and bright furnishing.