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April 26, 2019
Text: Mairi Beautyman
Nani Marquina’s Costa Brava Retreat Is a Collector’s Paradise
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 Esclanyà, 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.
“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.
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.
Keep scrolling to view more of the Marquina’s residence and products >