We meet fashion designer Malene Birger at home in Mallorca…
Asking fashion designer Malene Birger where she calls home is not straightforward. Although she is originally from Denmark, and Copenhagen was where she worked for 20 years until she stepped back from her fashion label By Malene Birger in 2014, she doesn’t think of it as home anymore. “Apparently Denmark has the happiest inhabitants in the world. But safety isn’t what I’m looking for. I want to jump into the deepest lake. This is when I feel alive and have my most creative moments,” she says.
Birger has lived in Greece, Italy and London, rarely staying anywhere for more than a few years in each country. With the exception of London, all the places she has chosen to live are beside, or close to, a large body of water. Her present home is in Mallorca, an island with which she was already familiar when she bought the house. Birger’s grandmother, a single mother and successful businesswoman, went to Mallorca in the 1950s. Her parents took her there in the 1960s, with her sister. She didn’t return again until she was 40 years old. She now lives on the quiet, eastern side of the island.
The dining room table is used to display Birger’s collection of books.
Inlaid pillars, found in India, in the entrance hall.
The house has a natural stone façade, and tiled floors and exposed beams link indoor and outdoor spaces. Inside, white walls provide the backdrop for Birger’s furniture and art. “While I may move every few years, what is inside my home remains the same. I might add to what I have and rearrange it differently,” she says. Her interiors style mixes mid-century furniture with collected items, and everything is connected by a restrained palette of black, white and gold. A large art collection, including Birger’s own abstract paintings and ceramics, decorate the rooms. “It’s not like I see the trees or ocean and want to paint them. My work is abstract. I feel good here so the creativity flows.”
The master bedroom overlooks rolling hills.
Birger now and then enjoys spending the day exploring or meeting friends at one of the many beaches in Mallorca. She balances her social life with the solitude she needs to jolt her creativity, enjoying the peacefulness of the island, as well as its seasonal changes. “Early summer is beautiful, before there are too many tourists. Everything is fresh, untouched somehow. Also, the warm, calm spell of weather in September is beautiful. There are still quite a few people on the island but it’s calmer, as the children are back at school. In February, the almond trees bloom. There are over seven million almond trees in Mallorca! But every time of year has something special.”
“For me, home is my bed and my studio. I love them both! I rarely use my living room or my dining room. It probably comes from when I had my company – I worked with so many people and had so many worries. Sleep was the only way I survived. After 20 years on the road, bed is my sanctuary!”
The sitting room features artwork by Birger.
Adapted from: Sense of Place, Design Inspired by Where We Live, by Caitlin Flemming & Julie Goebel, Abrams Books.