Interview: Du Rietz Design

Photographer: Michaela Wissén
Direction & Words: Henrik Berg

In 2017 the Swedish-born, Mallorca-based couple, split from their day jobs—Josephine was an interior designer at a real estate company, Christoffer ran a consultancy business in digital design—to fulfill their dreams in property development.

“We needed a change. A change in life. A change in our careers,” says Christoffer Du Rietz, while sipping on his americano. My first encounter with the duo began here at Villa Dagmar in Stockholm in August 2021. Rain is pouring down and the fading shimmers of light whisper that summer is slowly fading away.

Who are the couple that are blowing away the Instagram community with their transformations of old houses to spectacular homes?
Both Swedes. Now living on Mallorca. Josephine grew up on the Swedish west coast in Gothenburg where she studied industrial design. A path that paved the way for a career in car design at Volvo and interior design in real estate. Christoffer grew up in Stockholm and moved to Gothenburg to study interaction design & IT which led to a career in digital design.

“You know the best way to really understand what we do is if you come to Mallorca and see things front row. On-site.” says Josephine Du Rietz.

Henrik
“I agree. When?”

Josephine
“October?”

Henrik
“Done. It’d be cool if the memories were captured by Michaela Wissén who is an amazing photographer and visual storyteller who also lives on the island.”

“We’d love that,” says Christoffer while looking at the window as the clouds open. “..And people ask us why we moved to Mallorca that delivers 300 days of sun per year”.

Fast-forward to October 2021 as I drive through the mountainous region on my way to Alaró (Mallorca) where Du Rietz Design just finished their project Camp Roig 31. A 600 sqm townhouse which the couple renovated from scratch and brought in to the 21^st century. This beauty sits on a quiet street in a surrounding where farm animals roam the ground and olive trees stand with timeless pride.

The façade that guards the pearl doesn’t gossip about the grandeur that’s happened behind the walls. Except for the sharp doors to the garage. You can instantly tell that Du Rietz have a respect for conserving the culture and its architectural history.

When you open the door and step inside you couldn’t—and you wouldn’t—guess what you’re met with. Contrasts get a new meaning. A new depth.

A heavy stone bench. An arched-shaped ceiling. Married with warm wood that has been kept and restored. An entrance with a statement.

A restored 410 sqm courtyard, overlooking the Alaró twin peaks, comforts the house like a mom holds her child in her arms. The sunbathed backside is adorned with a 9x4m pool that combines the Mediterranean flair with a stripped-off and almost minimalistic design. It’s sharp. It’s chic. It’s elegant. It’s relaxed. It’s… sexy.

The sought-after talent that is Michaela Wissén captured the soul of the house with Christoffer and Josephine as protagonists. Sometimes it’s better to let the pictures do the talking and just leave it at that.

After a day of chasing light, finding the right angles and striving to capsule what this house is all about I got the chance to sit down with Josephine for a focused one-on-one while Chris took the kids to soccer practice.

Henrik:
I just finished renovating my apartment in Stockholm. It was a complete renovation from scratch and I thought that was challenging. It took about 7-8 months. But that’s nothing compared to this. This is on a whole other level. It’s surreal. How do you even make it work?

Josephine:
It’s a combination of hard work, an extreme drive and a strong passion for what we do. This is what we were born to do.

Henrik:
How did you and Christoffer meet?

Josephine:
Do you want the polished story or the true story?

Henrik:
Guess.

Josephine:
Christoffer was studying in Gothenburg and we were at the same party. I glanced at him standing in his black tie and hadn’t seen him before. I started asking around and understood that he wasn’t from town. After that I didn’t see him for quite a while until we stumbled upon each other during a night out. I asked him out and then it was us.

Henrik:
Sounds like the polished story.

Josephine:
It involved more drinks than I revealed.

Henrik:
For someone who doesn’t know what you do. Describe what it is, you do.

Josephine:
We are Swedish interior designers and project developers based on Mallorca.
We do mainly three things:

1. Buy homes and renovate them. Then sell them.
2. Renovation and interior design for clients.
3. Aftercare services.

Henrik:
So if I want to buy something on Mallorca, but don’t have a property in mind or the time to research, you can solve it?

Josephine:
Absolutely.

Henrik:
From scouting, to renovation, to project management, admin. Everything?

Josephine:
Yes. I think that’s a strength we have. I’m very creative and take lead on that while Christoffer is very structured and an ace at handling everything around the project which is needed to fulfill the vision. Chris is fluent in Spanish which obviously helps a lot.

Henrik:
What’s the aftercare services?

Josephine:
Gardener, house keeper and so on. We take care of that as well as we know the people on the ground. Sometime such a simple thing can cause stress for someone who doesn’t live here. It’s sort of a luxury to offer the whole scope so that you don’t have to think—just enjoy.

Henrik:
Let’s take a step back. You are from Sweden, circa 40 years old, have two children and have now lived on Mallorca for five years. What made you move?

Josephine:
My grandparents have always lived on Mallorca during the spring and summer. As a kid I spent my summers here and when I eventually met Christoffer we visited the Island together on a regular basis. So Mallorca has been a big part of us since we were kids. Sort of a home. Moving here came natural to us.

Henrik:
Tell me about the moment you took the definitive decision to move.
Where were you in that exact moment? 

Josephine:
It was growing over the years, but I remember that we were in Mallorca on parental leave with our daughter Lily. She was about 3 months old. Christoffer was driving the car from Deià to Palma and I sat next to him. I turned over and said “I want to live here permanently”. Without looking at me and keeping his eyes straight on the road he said “me too”. That was the first time we were starting to get really serious. Then we flew back to Sweden and continued with our lives. Me as an interior designer and architect at a real estate company and Christoffer with his own business as a design consultant.

Things heated when our son Fred came. He is 3 years younger than Lily. We decided to spend our whole parental leave with the kids on the island. That was the next piece of the puzzle that added to our grand plan of moving here.

Then things built from there. We kept coming back to the fact that we wanted to break free from the day-to-day habits that we had in Sweden. It’s sounds cliché but we really wanted to do something different with our lives.

Finally when Fred was 2,5 years I took a six months leave of absence from my job in Sweden. The idea was to use these 6 months to work on a project on Mallorca together.

Henrik:
You have two kids. How did they react when you said you wanted to move to Mallorca?

Josephine:
They were just happy. Mallorca for them was ice cream, sun and happiness so it wasn’t a problem at all. They started the Swedish school and accommodated very quickly.

It would have been a different play if we moved to London or Paris where we don’t have the same connection. Mallorca was just natural; it was like coming home.

Henrik:
What project?

Josephine:
Chris and I had been coming back to the island without the kids to scout for a house. Since we knew the surroundings we knew that we wanted to focus on Alaró and Sóller. Especially Sóller because of its architecture where you have the almost Parisian kind of feeling to it. All these beautiful apartments and houses were just begging us to take care of them.

We found a house that we loved and reached an agreement with the owner on a Friday. Signing was scheduled for Monday, two days later. Then we were hit by the news on Sunday evening that the owner had signed with someone else.

Henrik:
What a jerk.

Josephine:
Yes. We were devastated.

But there was another pearl that I had in my mind. It was much bigger than we had planned.

The idea with the first house—that we didn’t get—was to renovate it and live there ourselves. Then build our presence on Mallorca out of that house with a home office and so on.

But with this much bigger house we had to compromise. We had to rent an apartment, go all-in on renovating the house and then sell it to make things work. Which we did.

Henrik:
Which turned out to be a wise decision right? Because it put you on the map.

Josephine:
Yes. It was a bold move that turned out to be good for business. It generated a ton of publicity.

Henrik:
How did you feel after finishing your first project after having visualized it during so many years?

Josephine:
Content. Proud. Stimulated.

Henrik:
After that first project. Did things naturally build from there?

Josephine:
As we got good publicity on our first project that gave us additional opportunities and businesses. So it was a good start.

Henrik:
When you start a project together with a client do you prefer carte blanche or do you rather work with guidelines from the client?

Josephine:
We’re very lucky. The customers we have know our style and aesthetics. They like what we do. So they’re confident that we will deliver what they want. Each project is different and needs its special costume. You can’t just apply the same style everywhere.

Henrik:
Of course. Someone who is tall and big will need a very different fit and style on his attire compared to someone who is short and small.

Josephine:
Right? So there isn’t a way for customers to point at one of our projects and say “we want it exactly like that” because all properties are different. However, what is possible is that we apply our general style in everything we do.

Henrik:
To me your DNA is about contrasts. Sharp lines meet organic shapes. Old marries the new. Minimalism meets brutalism. Is that how you would describe your architectonical voice? 

Josephine:
Spot on. That’s us.

Henrik:
You’re both creators. You as an architect and interior designer. Christoffer has also been working in design. How do you divide the work?

Josephine:
Chris is very structured. Very exact. Meticulous. He’s responsible for all the drawings, handles all the contact with the builders and suppliers. He makes sure that everything is made according to plan.

I take lead on the concept development. The overall vision, the interiors and so on.

The beauty of working together is that we obviously collaborate very tightly which creates a beautiful synch.

Henrik:
What is something you think people generally miss or underrate in their homes?

Josephine:
Older elements. I visit the local markets and always try to find something that has some history to it. Including that in your home will add warmth.

I don’t mean that you need to go all in on all things old. It’s about finding a detail that can create a much-needed contrast and a sense of depth.

Henrik:
Everyone has different budgets. What’s something that you shouldn’t compromise on in your home?

Josephine:
Quality in material selection and lightning.
Quality in material will lift a room like a pair of shoes lifts an outfit.
Lightning when done right adds an ambience that can’t be created with just furniture.

Henrik:
I know you get inspired by everything around you. Not to say the least: nature. But tell me something or someone that inspires you beyond that. And please don’t just say your husband or your children, that comes without saying.

Josephine:
Patricia Urquiola is an incredible architect and designer who has done many, many beautiful pieces of art for Cassina.

I get inspired by driven, passionate and hardworking people.

Henrik:
That makes us two.

Josephine:
And when are you moving to Mallorca?

Henrik:
Soon. All in good time.

Henrik:
I almost forgot. What’s your secret indulgence?

Josephine:
I have many. But a glass of cava is high on the list.