Alexander Lervik

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CONTEMPORARY ART AND MODERN DESIGN MARRY CREAKY ORIGINAL DETAILS IN THE APARTMENT ON ÖSTERMALM

EXCLUSIVE!

ON SITE IN PARADISE

The Swedish star designer Alexander Lervik has designed a holiday home on the Philippine paradise island of Boracay. Plaza Deco visits Salt Villa and wonders how he ended up on the world's most beautiful beach.

TEXT JOHAN KELLMAN LARSSON PHOTO ULF SVANE

94 PLAZA DECO

...divides into two bodies, like a large butterfly. Along one long side stretches the four-kilometer-long beach, White Beach, which the American business magazine Forbes ranked as the world's best as early as 1989. – It is like wheat flour, says the Swedish designer Alexander Lervik and rubs an imaginary chalk-white sand against his fingertips. We meet in Alexander Lervik's studio on Södermalm in Stockholm. The cool powder sand he speaks of is on Boracay, a jewel in the enormous island crown that is the Philippines. In the middle of this postcard idyll in the western Pacific – think sparkling seraphim-blue water, coral reefs and sun-bleached thatched roofs – he has designed a sober holiday home. 130 square meters. Kitchen island. Large terrace. Every room has a spectacular panoramic view of White Beach. The view can take the breath away from any sour-stomached travel reporter. The two bedrooms on the upper floor also have their own private verandas. The house's materials are largely locally produced – something that was important to Alexander Lervik and his sister Ju- lia Lervik, who was the project manager for the construction.

»The marble floor on the ground floor was quarried by hand on a neighboring island«

– The marble floor on the ground floor, which was hand-polished on site in the house, was quarried by hand on a neighboring island to Bo- racay. The same goes for the glass windows and the palm wood floor on the upper floor.

Alexander Lervik is one of Sweden's most praised furniture designers right now. His work is characterized by innovation, play- fulness, passion and humor. From his studio on Södermalm, Lervik collaborates with some of the foremost Swedish and inter- national producers: Design House Stockholm, Johanson Design, David design, Skandiform, Finnish Saas Instruments and Italian Moroso. But why does a successful Swedish designer suddenly decide to design a two-story villa in the Philippines?

– It all started with my sister traveling there on vacation in the late eighties, falling in love, having children and staying. Over the years I have visited and grown attached to the place. It really is a par- adise. A few years ago my father bought a piece of land on Bora- cay, which in turn prompted me to buy a plot from him. My sis- ter then decided to establish a resort on the land and include my house. My family and I could have had it to ourselves, but because it is such a long journey from Sweden, it felt better to rent out the house when we are not there, so that it gets used.

Diniview, as the resort is called, consists of seven custom-designed houses, all in different styles. Alexander Lervik's house – Salt Villa – differs somewhat from the rest.

Salt Villa has a spectacular view of White Beach, repeatedly named the world's most beautiful beach.

– The other houses have a more traditional Philippine style. By Philippine standards, Salt Villa is very modern, with a Scandinavian touch. Last summer I and my wife Elin, who did the interior design together with me, traveled around flea markets in Sweden and bought small accessories for the house. Some of my own furniture is also in the house, including a brand new series of armchairs and sofas in rattan, manufactured in a factory in the Philippines. My chairs Ljusgungan and 44 Easy chair, plus the kitchen furniture from the Nest series, are a few other examples.

The distance from where we sit, in the studio on Klevgränd, to Alexan- der's childhood home – one of the old cultural heritage dwellings on Skinnar- viksberget – is just a paper airplane throw away. His mother is the sculptor Lena Lervik. His father is a retired engineer.

– I usually say that I ended up somewhere in between, says Alexander Lervik, tugging at his dark beard.

Already in eighth grade, Alexander Lervik knew that he wanted to work designing furniture. For his senior project in high school, he took apart an Ivar bookcase from Ikea – and constructed a new one from the same material. Before his studies, he spent two years as an apprentice to a cabinetmaker. Lervik's successful graduation project from Beck- mans College of Design in 1998 – the exhibition Ten Stools – Ten Dec- ades – became his ticket into the design world. The step from designing furniture to sketching an elegant holiday home in Southeast Asia felt, he explains, not that huge. But he also had help. Alexander

The balcony outside the bedroom looks out over the sea.

In the house is a lot of Alexander Lervik's own design. The Piano bar stool and the Nest kitchen chair he designed for Johanson Design. On the sofa, a new blanket for his own brand Tingest is visible.

Alexander and Elin having breakfast with their children Måns, Lisa, Ingrid and Ivar.

»Here it is not permitted to build higher than the palm trees.«

was responsible for the sketches and ideas for the house on Boracay. What fell outside his area of expertise he handed over to his sister and local Philippine structural engineers.

– For example, we jointly decided to cast the entire frame in concrete, so that the house can withstand the severe storms that sometimes hit the Philippines.

Like a chameleon, Salt Villa climbs up a cliff. The house really blends in with its surroundings, with its impressive reed roof. During the interview, Alexander returns to the importance of just that: that the house should not stand out, but rather blend with the rest of the scenery in a natural way.

– We built the house around a large palm tree, precisely because of that. The tree also functions as sun protection and provides shade.

In a travel feature in The New York Times, the island of Boracay was re- cently called "Southeast Asia's hippest". The tropical island has had a mas- sive boom over the past decade; half a million tourists step ashore each year. A lot has happened since Alexander Lervik visited Boracay for the first time, in 1993.

– Twenty years ago there was no electricity; we used oil lamps to navigate in the dark. Today there are over 1,000 restaurants on the island. A very valuable rule, however, has ensured that you don't see high-rise hotel complexes everywhere. It is, in fact, not permitted to build higher than the palm trees.

ALEXANDER LERVIK

AGE: 42.

DOES: Lervik Design engages in furniture and product design as well as interior design. Alexander is represented at, among others, the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm and Oslo and at the Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg. In 2015, Alexander Lervik is presenting new products from his own brand, Tingest.

CURRENT WITH: 18 new products from five different brands, including Färg & Blanche, V Ave Shoe Repair, Broberg & Ridderstråle. Pre- sented at Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair February 3–7, 2015. New products for David design and Johanson Design. Renovation of Södra Bar (at Södra Teatern) in Stockholm.

3 OWN FAVORITES

01. BRIGHTHANDLE

Brighthandle, which was launched at the Milan furniture fair in 2001, is a new concept for door handle design that simultaneously communicates with the user using colored light.

02. LUCY

Johanson Design showed Lervik's beautiful folding table at the Stockholm furniture fair last year. "Folding tables often look drab. Lucy, on the other hand, has a nice shape and is very beautiful in the folded position," says Alexander Lervik.

03. LJUSGUNGAN

Alexander Lervik designed the swing in 2005 for an exhibition called Five Playful Chairs. Filled with fiber optics, it became popular all over the world and was written about in a number of major publications.

PLAZA DECO 9

»When I arrive in Boracay, it is as if the soul gets total rest.«

I ask which aspect of the house Alexander Lervik likes the best. He does not hesitate with the answer:

– The incredible view of White Beach is probably at the top of the list. New Year's Eve is an experience with all the fireworks. Also, I love that indoors and outdoors blend together, so that everything becomes like a single room. The house is designed to accommodate three couples or a large family, so all rooms have private bathrooms, which is very nice.

Alexander Lervik speaks warmly about the Philippines. His love for the house goes hand in hand with his love for the country.

– It's a hidden treasure. Swedes prioritize Thailand, which I have a bit of trouble understanding. In the Philippines everyone speaks English, and unlike Thailand there are no dangerous animals. In addition, there are several exciting, world-famous designers from the Philippines whom I keep an eye on. I have also visited the country's furniture fair. They are much further ahead in design than many people think.

A trip every other year to Boracay, usually over Christmas and New Year's, is standard for Alexander Lervik and his family. A highlight of the year, not least for the children.

– My children start counting down the days half a year before we travel. They love the place above all else. For me and my wife it is a place for total relaxation where we can enjoy sun, swimming and lots of good food and drink. When I arrive in Boracay, it is as if the soul gets total rest.

100 PLAZA DECO

Diniwid Beach, right below the house, is considerably calmer than adjacent White Beach.

English translation of the original article. Text read from the scanned original; small transcription errors may occur.