As the founder of Vinterior, a well-regarded online vintage furniture marketplace, Sandrine Zhang Ferron has helped more than 100,000 clients outfit their homes with secondhand treasures since 2016.
asserted
clients → regard → 2016
So when she was fitting out her holiday home in Mallorca for her young family, she naturally trusted her own creative and sustainable instincts.
asserted
she → fit → instincts
Nestled at the foot of the Tramuntana mountains in the charming village of Serra de Tramuntana, the oasis (it once belonged to Freddie Mercury’s manager, if the estate agent is to be believed) is airy, bright and equipped with modern comforts, while honouring the spirit of the region’s traditional design.
asserted
agent → nestle → design
Zhang Ferron and her husband Romain, who have a six-year-old daughter, initially purchased it as a base for their hiking holidays – trips filled with fresh air and exercise followed by jamón and cold beer in the village plaza.
asserted
who → have → plaza
“When it came to designing the home, [Romain and I] wanted to respect the Mallorcan architecture without being a Mediterranean cliché,” she says.
asserted
she → come → architecture
Born in China and raised in Lille, France, before studying in Paris and relocating to London at 23, Zhang Ferron’s world has always been multicultural, so she’s well-schooled in toeing the line between tasteful homage and tacky pastiche.
asserted
she → bear → homage
She knew that for the property to feel authentic, she’d need to start sourcing locally.
asserted
she → know → ?
This began with the interior renovations they undertook in 2022.
asserted
they → begin → 2022
“We decided to do major work,” she says.
asserted
she → decide → work
“We changed all the flooring, from laminate to Gris Zarci, a hammered and polished stone from mainland Spain.
asserted
We → change → Spain
I removed all materials that felt low-quality.
asserted
that → remove → materials
“In the larger areas, we saw an opportunity to create some built-in pieces.
asserted
we → see → pieces
In the ground-floor living room, we installed a sofa, a banquette,” she says, her soft French accent elegantly articulating that last word.
asserted
accent → instal → word
“We reproduced its rounded shape on the staircase, which used to be metal, and echoed this in the bathrooms,” she says, referring to the earthy, lime-washed textures throughout the house.
asserted
she → reproduce → house
“We did this to create consistency.”
asserted
We → do → consistency
But Zhang Ferron wasn’t about to create a foreigner’s facsimile of a local home.
asserted
Ferron → create → home
It had to be reflective of her style.
asserted
It → have → style
“We tried to marry local materials, like the Marés stone, and even the traditional Mallorcan-striped upholstery, with a bold, design-led vibe, specifically through our art.”
asserted
We → try → art
Chance had it that Danish fashion designer Malene Birger, known best as an outfitter to Copenhagen’s chicest residents, also lives on the Balearic island and moonlights as a painter.
asserted
Birger → know → painter
“My husband saw her posting her work on Instagram, and we went to visit her house.
asserted
we → see → house
We bought a few pieces.
asserted
We → buy → pieces
She was doing a car-boot sale of sorts, and I bought some of her clothes as well!”
asserted
I → do → clothes
Birger’s imposing, block-stroke works can be seen in the couple’s upstairs living room, infusing the traditional Balearic atmosphere with a touch of refreshingly modern energy.
asserted
works → see → energy
As for the furniture, Zhang Ferron says she likes to pop into Rialto Living in Palma, Mallorca’s capital, to browse the luxury brands for inspiration, but it’s the flea market in the msall town of Consell to which she’s most allegiant.
“It’s huge,” she enthuses.
asserted
she → say → which
“It ranges from people who went to the recycling points and picked up things to sell to proper antique dealers with quality items.
asserted
who → range → items
We go there almost every Sunday to hunt for new pieces.
asserted
We → go → pieces
My advice is to go early, and go with cash.”
asserted
advice → go → cash
Her best discovery came in the form of a statement piece that now perches above the master bed.
asserted
that → come → bed
“I spied it at one of the antique dealers – it’s enormous, at three metres by 1½ metres.
asserted
it → spy → metres
It used to be a keyholder at a hotel.
asserted
It → use → hotel
It was very dirty and badly painted, but I saw potential.
asserted
I → paint → potential
I got it for €150 [$245] and sanded and repainted it with chalk paint to make a statement piece.”
asserted
I → get → piece
The Telegraph, UK
Get the best of Sunday Life magazine delivered to your inbox every Sunday morning.
asserted
Telegraph → get → inbox
The Aporia
