A Frank Chat with Dorian
There’s a stillness that hangs in the air on Menorca; the kind that makes you slow down, breathe deeper, and notice the weight of light on old stone. It’s this quiet energy that drew antiques dealer and interior designer Dorian to the island, transforming a fleeting holiday into a way of life. Between London and Mahón, he has built a dialogue between two worlds: urban precision and island poetry.
With his sister Ysolde, Dorian runs an antiques gallery in Mahón that blends 20th-century French decorative arts with 18th and 19th-century Spanish furniture. Together, they curate with intuition and depth, favouring pieces that bear history and restraint, yet speak with warmth. Their philosophy is rooted in harmony: the refined meeting the rustic, elegance shaped by soul. Her husband Thomas, an architect and interior designer, joins them on projects across the island, ensuring that each space reflects the Menorcan ethos, beauty through simplicity, honesty, and time.
What first drew you to Menorca, and what made you decide to make it part of your life?
When my husband Thomas and I first came to the island for what was meant to be just a week’s holiday, we both felt something electric, an energy that seemed to rise from the land itself. It wasn’t only the turquoise coves or the calm rhythm of life; it was the sense that something was happening here culturally. The emerging art scene, the arrival of Hauser & Wirth, the growing community of creative people… I had this voice in my head saying, you have to be part of this. Six months later, we had the keys to our house. A year later, my sister joined us and I became a full-time menorquina.
You divide your time between London and Menorca. How do you find balance between these two very different places?
London is vibrant, stimulating, and always in motion, it keeps you sharp. Menorca, on the other hand, invites stillness. It’s about reconnecting with slower rhythms. I need both: London feeds my curiosity; Menorca feeds my soul. The contrast actually brings balance - one fuels the mind, the other restores it.
What elements of Menorca have influenced your aesthetic as an antiques dealer and interior designer?
Menorca teaches restraint. The architecture here, fincas in the countryside or Georgian townhouses in Mahón holds a quiet grandeur: marés stone walls, ochre tones, and simple lines. That sense of timeless modesty resonates deeply with us. It encourages us to mix textures, natural materials, and objects with soul to create a conversation between the refined and the rustic.
When you were looking for a home here, what were you searching for — and what did you end up finding?
We wanted a townhouse, rather than a country finca. Although we love Ciutadella, Thomas and I always felt drawn to Mahón and we found a place larger than we’d planned. Our Georgian townhouse carries layers of history: marbled trompe-l’œil walls, original floor tiles, sash windows, and views over the city’s rooftops. Ysolde’s apartment nearby is smaller, with a lush garden and a centenary orange tree that feels almost symbolic - roots, memory, and renewal.
How does your Menorcan home reflect your way of living compared to your London one?
Our London home is more urban and sleek, it mirrors the pace of the city and my Marylebone gallery, where I focus on Art Deco and early 20th-century design. In Menorca, the light and air create another rhythm. The interior is more layered and serene, a place to host and breathe. We live surrounded by earlier pieces, 17th-century Spanish furniture, 18th-century French objects, all alongside modern art. It’s an environment that embraces imperfection and ease.
For many of our readers, finding a home on Menorca is about more than property — it’s about a shift in lifestyle. What advice would you give them?
Let the island choose you. Explore every corner until you find the one that speaks to you. Study its history and understand its people - they are kind, generous, and rooted in their land. And most importantly, be patient. Things move slower here, but that’s part of the island’s gift.
What kind of people are drawn to your store in Mahón?
It’s a wonderful mix. Half are private collectors; locals and internationals who have homes on the island, and visitors who fall in love with Menorca’s spirit. The other half are interior designers from mainland Spain, France, the UK, the US, and beyond. We even ship to Australia and Hong Kong. There’s a global curiosity for Menorca’s sensibility, authenticity with quiet luxury.
Quick-Fire Questions
A place on Menorca you never tire of?
The view from our terrace at sunset - rooftops of Mahón, three church towers, and the shimmer of the harbour beyond.
An object that best represents you right now?
A monumental French still life from 1883 that hangs in our dining room. Though deeply traditional, it has a modern, almost abstract quality. It captures everything I love; the dialogue between modernity and tradition.
Home, in one word?
Belonging.
Dorian’s world is one of balance; between time and place, history and modernity, London and Menorca. Through his eye, antiques become more than beautiful objects; they are vessels of memory, carrying the quiet confidence of things made to last. His story reminds us that home is not just where we live, but how we choose to see.
dorian-menorca.com/es
instagram.com/doriancaffotdefawes
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