April 26, 2019

Nani Marquina’s Costa Brava Retreat Is a Collector’s Paradise

A Tres Vegetal rug by Marquina and Elisa Padrón anchors the living area and covers a prototype pouf, which accompanies a vintage armchair, a Mario Ruiz sofa, a vintage Alvar Aalto stool, and a 1930s leather B.K.F. chair. Photography by Albert Font.

Nani Marquina has a thing for straw hand brooms. The textile designer and Nanimarquina founder owns more than two-dozen such specimens, sourced from locales as far flung as Thailand, Pakistan, and Ibiza. “They’re all essentially used the same way, yet every brush is different, depending on the country of origin and the regional fiber,” she marvels.

Marquina’s collecting passion also extends to woven baskets, beaded necklaces, teapots, seeds, dried gourds, soap, succulents, and sand (stored in fish bowls), all of which garnish the
Es
clanyà, Spain, getaway she shares with her husband, photographer Albert Font. The 1970s dwelling, purchased three years ago from a painter friend, has a whitewashed simplicity that renders it a perfect backdrop for the couple’s assorted ephemera. “The most important thing is not the container, but the contents,” Marquina says.

An existing skylight draws sunshine into the dining area, where PET lamps by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón dangle over vintage wicker chairs (from a local maker) and a salvaged-wood table by Piet Hein Eek. Photography by Albert Font.

“The most important thing is not the container, but the contents”

Sliding glass doors permit views of the Costa Brava coastline and coax an abundance of light into the 3,200-square-foot two-bedroom. The living/dining area, kitchen, and master suite are on the main level, whose wide-plank wood flooring is seasoned with paint splashes from the previous owner. The partially subterranean lower level, a converted garage, houses Marquina’s studio and a guest room.

Cement-grouted wood planks salvaged from horse stables pave the floor; the stucco stair is original. Photography by Albert Font.

An exception is the studio’s Hella Jongerius sofa, covered in a fire-engine-red fabric. It’s the sole piece of seating here, where Marquina often works from the comfort of the floor—cushioned, of course, by one of her own carpet designs.

In the studio, a Hella Jongerius Polder sofa rests on a handwoven wool Losanges rug by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec; Marquina’s brush collection includes one from Ibiza, typically used to lime-wash house stoops. Photography by Albert Font.

Keep scrolling to view more of the Marquina’s residence and products >

Populating the studio are Shade poufs by Marcos Catalán, upholstered in rugs by Begüm Cânâ Özgür. Photography by Albert Font.
Marquina designed the pigmented cement pool to blend into the hillside. Photography by Albert Font.
Custom cushions crafted from a Turkish kilim accent the guest room, with custom pine shelving repurposed from an installation at Nanimarquina’s Barcelona showroom. Photography by Albert Font.
Nestled among olive and cork oak trees, the stucco and terracotta structure has a view of Spain’s Costa Brava coastline. Photography by Albert Font.
Burmese lacquerware that Marquina purchased on her travels alights a wool-blend Tres Green rug she designed with Elisa Padrón. Photography by Albert Font.
Horizontal and vertical gradients converge in Shade, a handmade flatweave by designer Begüm Cânâ Özgür. Photography by Albert Font.

The wool Kilim pouf is by Marquina and Marcos Catalán. Photography by Albert Font.

Recent Projects