Witte & Papini interprets LINUM.

Daniela Witte needed and dreamt of a place where she and her family could get some respite and relaxation. They live on what used to be a horse farm, built in 1907, where they have created a lifestyle of their own and where Daniella has her studio and runs various businesses. Despite the fact that the past several years have proved to be both fulfilling and wonderful, Daniella says that she doesn’t have peace in her everyday life and so the search for respite has begun. In the post below, Daniella tells the story of the many projects she has undertaken over the years and of how she built and will now sell her dream house.

We ‘stumbled upon’ the plot of land that the new house is now built on, which wasn’t very far from our farm, but in a completely different environment that really appealed to us. There is a pine forest right next to the house and the sea is only a short walk away. It was quiet and peaceful, a perfect place for us to build a house that could become our place of respite and a potential place for us to retire when the children had grown up. By the time all the blueprints were ready and the foundation of the house was laid, our life situation had changed and we therefore decided to sell our dream house as soon as it was completed.

It was our sensitivity to the unique surroundings and the beautiful nature that guided us when we drew and designed the house. We wanted to create a home that required less furniture and fewer things. The vision of an unencumbered, simple life was an important underlying theme throughout the process.

The house has a natural wooden facade that blends in beautifully with the forest, but is primarily built in stone which is highlighted in the interior of the house through the concrete floors and plastered walls left in their natural colours. This gives the house an incredible amount of soul and an inviting feel as you come in (something that can be a challenge to achieve if you buy a new-build).

The plastered walls add so much character that you only need a few well-chosen paintings or wall decorations.
When I decorate my personal projects, I purchase most of the furniture at auctions and then transform or refurbish them as required. I also like to design furniture to suit the space and have it made by a local carpenter. Both the dining table and the long bench are my own designs. For me, this is a way to create more long-term interior design solutions that benefit both the environment and inner well-being.

In addition to the furniture, I decorate the house with natural textiles in different textures, which bring a harmonious soft contrast and balance to the look. I use linen curtains that let in a nice light, and cushions in cotton, linen and silk. Fine knits together with coarse knits.

Although in the end we would not move into the house ourselves, I naturally wanted to immortalise our vision for the house in beautiful pictures. I feel really comfortable with the photographer Andrea Papini and I believe we have complemented each other well in our previous work together. Just as I expected, he had a fantastic ability to depict the soul and architecture of the house, which is very noticeable in the pictures. I am very satisfied and happy with the collaboration we did on this house for LINUM.