A Frank Chat with Jeroen van Zwetselaar
Since 2024, Fantastic Frank Ibiza is proud to be collaborating with renowned Dutch interior and exterior designer Jeroen Van Zwetselaar. A true trailblazer in his field, his signature style of ‘classic meets modern’ with deliberate ‘imperfections’ that add contrast and an element of laid-back cool, has made his STUDIO JEROEN VAN ZWETSELAAR a household name not only in Europe, but also overseas.
Not only will Jeroen redesign and renovate the Fantastic Frank Ibiza office in Santa Gertrudis, the in-demand designer and his team will also be sharing the new workspace with us. As he is working on the transformation of our joint base on the White Island, we thought it would be a great time to quiz him on all things artful renovations, intuitive design and Ibiza style.
Jeroen, we are proud to be collaborating with you - and to share the office with you soon! Tell us a little bit about your background and how you developed your signature style.
During my studies, I worked as a sailing instructor for a while because I have always had a huge passion for the sea. And that’s when I came across my first design project, an old sea container that I turned into a home with everything that I could find on the beach. This was long before this industrial style became trendy, but it ended up in Elle Decoration because they couldn’t believe that I had created this space at 20 years old.
Wow! And now you are an in-demand designer who works all over the world. What is your set-up?
I split my time between the Netherlands and Ibiza. I have an office in Amsterdam that is a little bit ‘surfey’ and close to the coast, and soon the second office in Santa Gertrudis at the heart of the island. We have clients in Ibiza, Barcelona, Alicante... a lot in Spain and on the coast in Holland. But also in Switzerland, Belgium and the USA. We currently have seven people on our team including architects, interior designers and craftsmen. I also like to work with local artists, and I often use my own designs - furniture, carpets, pictures - too.
It sounds like you prefer to stay close to the coast! What is it about the sea that inspires you?
Yes, I love the sea. Sometimes I think I would like to spend half of my time in Portugal, but I like Ibiza too much. When I surf or sail, I can clear my mind - because I always have a lot of thoughts going through my head. You have to make space for inspiration to flow.
Tell us about your connection to Ibiza...
I have been coming here for 25 years, and a lot of my Dutch friends live here, too. I like the very peaceful way of life here, the island has a great balance between nature, tranquillity and life. I love the buzzy bars and terraces here in Santa Gertrudis, for example Sense Ibiza and Macao Café.
Our neighbours, basically! What was your first project on the island, and what do you think of the typical Ibiza design aesthetic?
My first project in Ibiza was a 400-year-old finca with two casitas, it was very beautiful. In recent years I have seen a lot of the Scandinavian minimalism mixed with the Japanese Wabi-Sabi aesthetic - and everyone is copying from Pinterest. I do my own thing and I have my signature style, and I think it’s very welcome here.
Is it difficult when clients come to you with a Pinterest board or AI-generated ‘fantasy designs’?
It’s totally fine if people use Pinterest, but to be honest I don’t really look at the moodboards - I hear their stories, and it allows me to understand the clients and their lifestyle. Most importantly - and this is kind of my ‘expertise’ or ‘talent’ - I can feel the buildings and understand them in a special way to create a good flow - and the flow, for me, is one of the most important aspects. I always go my own way.
How would you describe your style?
I would call it ‘heritage meets modern’. Two worlds coming together, always clashing a little bit. Not everything is symmetric. Imperfection can be beautiful - if you design very clean lines you can make a little mess in them and do some crazy stuff. But it only works when you do the rest completely perfectly. I have seen others try to copy what I’m doing, and thought, ‘Yeah, but it’s not working here’. I don’t know exactly why, I just see it. It’s not easy to copy this.
Do you prefer to work on a new build or a renovation project?
I mostly prefer to work on old houses, but it’s also nice to use old materials in a new building.
Our sister office in Amsterdam recently listed your Dutch home, a stunning property...
I loved that house but I'm selling it because I found a very nice project in the heart of Amsterdam. It’s a very old, neoclassical villa in the middle of the city centre and it has a beautiful garden with a water feature. It’s a hidden oasis in a busy street, but in front of a great park.
We can’t wait to see what you do with it! But as you are currently working on our shared office, can you tell us a little bit about the process and inspiration for that?
It’s a blank canvas at the moment, which is nice. We made a very old structure of Sabina wood. It’s very cool. And we are also going to redesign the whole garden. Fantastic Frank is not just a broker’s agency, I really like their style. They have a very distinctive aesthetic, which is very good for me.
We are very excited about the outdoor space!
For me it’s a holistic thing, and I always try to consider everything: Inside, outside, the garden, the lighting. I think it’s very important to keep a helicopter view of everything so you have a coherent end result. I’m very fanatic about the whole process, I’m deep into the project down to the last detail. You have to stay motivated until the very last part, even if you are working on something for three years.
For further inspiration visit jeroenvanzwetselaar.com.
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