September 27, 2023, 3:25 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
They sought a place to spend the winter and found a home: Designer Wolfgang Joop and his husband Edwin Lemberg offer a glimpse into their 300-year-old finca on Ibiza. myHOMEBOOK editor Katharina Regenthal took a closer look.
Living a dream that few can achieve, designer Wolfgang Joop and his husband Edwin Lemberg have owned a finca on Ibiza for several years, spending only the summer months in Germany. But it’s not just any finca; it’s a 300-year-old family heirloom. Joop recently shared with AD Magazine how they acquired it and what makes the house a home.
A Winter Retreat on Ibiza
To escape the German winters, Joop and his husband have been drawn to Ibiza for years. In an interview with AD, he shared that they often extended their stays, moving from hotel to hotel. Eventually, they wanted a place where they could cook and work.
The idea was to rent a property in Ibiza’s old town. However, it was very noisy in the summer, and they couldn’t find anything suitable, according to the designer. Just as they were about to give up on their dream, they were offered a 300-year-old finca located inland.
“There were certainly other interested parties, but the owner had ‘a little crush on us’ and said: them or no one!” Joop said in the interview. “This unexpected offer was a huge compliment for us because selling a family property where you’ve lived for decades is quite painful,” Joop added.
The couple assured the seller they would honor the property, change nothing on the exterior, and only renovate in a historically appropriate manner. Thus, they moved their winters to Ibiza.
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Wolfgang Joop and his husband kept their promise not to make significant changes to the 300-year-old house. Only the bathrooms and kitchen were updated. The latter now resembles a state-of-the-art professional kitchen amidst old walls and a ceiling of ancient wooden beams. Thanks to some skylights, it doesn’t feel too sterile—the unusual combination of stainless steel and wood fits together beautifully.
For the rest of the furnishings, they didn’t hire a star designer—Joop’s husband primarily took on the task. Apart from beds, nothing was newly purchased. Lemberg used only the existing furniture and artworks they had collected over the years.
With the purchase of the finca, the couple gave up their two secondary residences in New York and Monaco—their favorite pieces of furniture are now on Ibiza. For this reason, you won’t find typical island pieces, which makes it all the more special. Such an interior won’t be found anywhere else. In a TikTok video, Joop explains that he finds it very interesting when he enters a home and sees “the mood of the residents prevails over aesthetic rules.” And it seems they approached the interior with this philosophy.
A Colorful Potpourri from Around the World
Upon entering, one is surprised. It quickly becomes clear: Everything here is a bit different yet harmonious. You are greeted in the 300-year-old building by a comic-like sculpture by artist Gerhard Kehl. Joop describes his second home on Ibiza as an “urban, eclectic place.” It was very important to them that the finca doesn’t feel like a vacation home but truly becomes their home. “It should remind us more of our former penthouse in New York than a traditional finca. That’s why you won’t find objects in the Ibizan style in our interior,” Joop told AD Magazine.
And so, they combine everything they like in the finca—and from everywhere. The interior is a potpourri of furniture from around the world. And everything has a little story.
In the bedroom, for example, is Joop’s favorite piece: a gilded chest of drawers from the 1920s. In a TikTok video, he explains that it came from the 1920s and once belonged to a family in New York. The living room also features furniture and accessories from around the world. A Scandinavian wing chair with Mexican upholstery, a Moroccan rug, and a chaise lounge covered in bright red patent leather. Modern art objects like a sculpture by Erwin Wurm—a giant pickle piercing a tabletop—are also present.
All of this creates an extraordinary mix. “When different styles come together, you achieve the greatest tension if the objects have a similar quality,” said Wolfgang Joop. “With contrasts, you simply achieve the greatest tension.”
A special highlight is the designer’s study—it looks nothing like a small office. In the center is an angled dining table, six chairs, a floor lamp, and several vases on the table. It’s a place with plenty of room for creativity. Joop describes the finca as “a place of tranquility, where you can look inward and become creative.”
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A Bit of Home on Ibiza
Wolfgang Joop was born in Potsdam and still lives there today. A piece of it had to come to Ibiza with him. The 78-year-old had his favorite flowers, blue irises, planted on the several 10,000-square-meter property. Aspirin roses were also planted, reminding him of the palace garden in Potsdam.