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Growing up, London-based interiors photographer Ingrid Rasmussen spent holidays at the Ibiza home her grandmother bought on a whim in the ‘70s. This spontaneous choice sparked an everlasting affection for the Spanish island within her family. Rasmussen’s brother now lives in that home, but when she started looking for a place of her own, the available modern-style residences didn’t feel right. Then, three years ago, her brother’s friend decided to sell their place. “It was just instant love,” she says. “I was very, very lucky to get it.”
Situated a 10-minute walk from the beach Rasmussen frequented as a kid, the apartment feels like a “little Ibizan finca,” she says, using the Spanish term for a country estate. Textured walls, arches, exposed beams, terracotta floors, and even built-in furniture make the two-bedroom, one-bathroom unit a rare find. Likely built in the ‘70s or ‘80s, the flat exists as part of a small block of houses that are each split into two apartments: one on top and the other on bottom. Rasmussen’s top-level apartment, with a terrace overlooking the sea, remained intact. While she adored the holiday home’s existing charm—namely, the original kitchen and bathroom tiles—she was eager to put her stamp on it. “I thought, ‘This is my one opportunity to really use color to its full effect,’” she says. “If I can’t be brave in Ibiza and do something fun and different, where can I do it?”
Rasmussen enlisted a local painter to help her craft a vibrant color palette guided by Ibizan landscapes. She drenched the kitchen, living-dining area, and hallways in a yellow reminiscent of the sun and rock formations; the primary bedroom and bathroom in teal, mimicking the mesmerizing Mediterranean sea; and the guest bedroom in blue, a nod to the clear sky. The color story reflects one of her favorite pastimes: simply lying on rocks near the sea, surrounded by pine trees and gazing upward. “It turned out to be a bit of a rainbow,” she says.
The holiday home was sold with everything inside of it, from the furnishings down to the Tupperware. Rasmussen kept and painted many furniture pieces to give them new life. She turned the main room’s white built-in banquette yellow and coated all dark wood cabinets in black paint. She rescued and revived other treasures from the trash. “A lot of the cane chairs I found in the local bins outside a hotel that was closing down,” she says. “I’d go for my morning runs and come back with chairs over my shoulder, and then I just painted them,” she says.
Rasmussen brought in art she collected over the years that didn’t quite fit in her London flat. Some Ibizan landscape paintings by her late aunt now hang in the living area. A large framed Pierre Frey textile with a palm tree motif on it, which an interior designer gifted to her, adds a playful touch to the guest bedroom. One of her favorite pieces is a woven wall hanging in the kitchen, which was gifted to her by artist Taher Asad Bakhtiari. Over the dining area, she hung her biggest purchase for the home: a trio of paintings by her friend artist Katy Lynton that explore psychedelic realms. Other details, like vases and lighting, came from London’s Portobello Road Market, fleas, and local shops.
While Rasmussen often travels between London and Dubai for work, she tries to go to Ibiza as much as she can. Usually, that’s at least four times a year with a single stretch lasting from July through August. “I don’t like being away from Ibiza for more than a few months because I miss it,” she says. After all, for her, the island retreat is all about relaxing and connecting with the outdoors whether she’s solo or hosting friends, soaking up the summer sun or cozying up near the working fireplace on a chilly day. “This is where I come to unwind, and without question, it’s where I feel happiest.”
