Architect John Brevard on creating an island home so intertwined with nature it disappears among the trees.
There are plenty of Ibiza architects who dissolve the boundaries between inside and out in their designs, but few who manage to make said designs virtually disappear. But that’s what John Brevard has done at his self-renovated island home, Villa Selva.
“It’s almost like giving the house back to the landscape, at least that was the intention,” explains the American architect and creative polymath. “The goal was not just to bring the outside in, but to emphasise the natural elements as much as possible.”
True to his vision, the old finca has been sensitively updated. Green roofs have been installed and copious vines and trees planted so that “nature pours over the house”. The effect is both calming and camouflaging – a veil of privacy that allows John, his wife Francesca Bonfanti and their young daughter to soak up the inviting sea and sunset views without being seen.
“We often do hikes across the bay and back when we bought the villa, we could look around and point it out on the cliffside,” he remembers. “Now you can barely see the house it at all. It’s all just trees and plants, so the building fades away.”
The abundant greenery alone can’t take all the credit for the restorative, back-to-nature vibe, though. From the very beginning of the process, John was adamant he wanted to respect and preserve the original architectural principles at play. “My idea of a home isn’t one that imposes but one that instead yields and folds into the landscape,” he notes. “There can be boldness and statements of modernity inherent in its design, but respecting the wisdom of history and of the original finca was important to me.”
That’s something that can often get lost in the island’s ultra-modern homes, he cautions. “They’re just too clean and perfect; they don’t tell the same story that all the nooks, crannies and dents inherent in older spaces do.”
“The goal was not just to bring the outside in, but to emphasise the natural elements as much as possible”
At Villa Selva, the finca’s character has been retained as much as possible, all while opening the framework to the outdoors even further. In place of wooden shutters that would have originally offered protection from the elements in the wintertime and an opening to the outside in the summer months, large expanses of glass now frame the panoramic views. “The house was already open to nature but in a different way,” notes John. Inside, preserved Sabina beams and tactile limestone walls add to the dialogue between interior and exterior. “You feel almost as though you’re living outside.”
With a background in multidisciplinary arts, John’s creative expression encompasses many different mediums, from jewellery and sculpture to painting. In fact, look around Villa Selva and you’ll find many of his colourful works hanging from the walls alongside artefacts from his travels. Whatever the artform though, nature and the natural order play starring roles.
“Whenever you’re designing in a different place, I feel like that place shapes how you design in that it really sets a tone. Each place, each environment talks to you,” he says. If his previous self-designed New York apartments were filled with reclaimed, shabby-chic furniture, and his former Miami pad was an all-white, gallery-like setting, then Villa Selva is much more “wabi-sabi and timeless”. By incorporating the Japanese aesthetic of finding beauty in imperfection and simplicity – and mixing it with what John deems elements of Gaudi-esque fluidity – Villa Selva is a comfortable, lived-in setting that embraces its environment.
Ibiza first came onto John’s radar post-pandemic – “I always thought it was just a party island and never really paid much attention to it” – when he ended up being introduced to Villa Selva before he even landed. After the owners of Six Senses hotel told him about it, he found the property on Google Maps and “tagged it as my forever home in Ibiza”, he laughs. “I had this intuitive sense about it. Then, on our second day here, Francesca and I came over to speak to the owner and decided to submit an offer before going for a swim just in front of the villa.”
By the time the pair returned post dip, their offer had been accepted. Aptly, the ocean continues to play a part in everyday life for the couple. Steps descend from the villa’s heated pool directly to the waves, which are visible from all angles, inside and out – from the panoramic meditation deck to the open-plan living space. “What I love about the north is that it’s very peaceful,” notes John. “There are sweat lodges, prayer ceremonies and a more spiritual vibe. Plus, you can go swimming every day.”
“Whenever you’re designing in a different place, I feel like that place shapes how you design in that it really sets a tone. Each place, each environment talks to you”
A product of its laid-back, natural surroundings, Villa Selva is fittingly sustainable too. As well as reusing and retaining materials wherever possible, other measures include a cistern to capture water that’s then used to fill up the pool. “Having that connection with nature and seeing how it interacts with the house is really special,” John adds, although he’s quick to point out that while the home feels very self-sustaining and in the middle of nowhere, it’s still close to civilisation. “I think we all romanticise the idea of being in the woods alone, but the truth is that we’re a communal species and we need to find a way to balance the two – to feel like we’re living in the jungle, yet still connected to others,” he says. “This, for me, is the perfect harmony of living.”
Even so, look out of the wall-to-wall windows here and you’ll see very little other than trees and the ocean. Ultimately, this is what sets Villa Selva apart. “People never want to leave,” John smiles. “It’s like you’ve stepped into another world.”
Villa Selva is available to rent from €37,500 per week
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