The word 'summer' almost has a whole other meaning when you live in the tropics of Brazil. Although its typically hot and balmy, there’s a different sort of feeling in the warm(er) season. A true sensory experience if you will: slipping your toes into your worn-out havaianas feels different – it’s like even your toes know its exciting outside. I swear, you can even hear the sea louder and the breeze is saltier and more coconutty; days seem carefree but nostalgic at the same time. It’s almost as if you’ve been thrust into a song written by Tom Jobim. Summer becomes a verb when you are in Brazil... and I call that magical.

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There are four things in this life that will change you. Love, music, art and loss. The first three will keep you wild and full of passion. May you allow the last to make you brave. —Erin Van Vuren

Yesterday I published a post about the beautiful hidden villages in Formentera, by GCA Architects. The photographer for that project is the oh-so-talented Salva Lopéz. Salva is an award-winning Spanish Photographer based in Barcelona. He has worked for several noted magazines and agencies such as Monocle, The Wall Street Journal, Kinfolk and Freude von Freuden, among others.

Salva's work has a distinctive and evocative style. It is filled with nostalgia and it draws the viewer in to lose themselves in the details of each image. Each image a beautifully told, living story.

His latest project, "From The Darkness", for Open House magazine is exactly that - a magically told story by a wonderfully creative Photographer.

Creative Direction by Marcelo Martinez & Andrew Trotter · Styling by Jaume Vidiella · Hair & Makeup by Xisca Heba
Models: Kayako Higuchi & Ronnie Made from Trend Models · Location: Palau de Casavells

Formentera is a stunning and acclaimed island in the Mediterranean Balearic sea. Neighbor to Party Central, Ibiza, Formentera is in contrast a peaceful escape surrounded by villages, dirt roads and secluded retreats where many lucky families make their home. One of those villages that can be found on the island is this beautiful abode, planned and designed by GCA Architects – also from Spain. The company was tasked to create a home that blended with the environment and spoke of the feel of the site. Clearly that was successfully achieved.



The project is divided into three separate villages that used natural and texture-filled materials that bring warmth and beauty to the interiors: micro cement, timber and wood, to mention a few.

The simplicity of the village exterior effortlessly blends into the outdoors, it almost seems like an extension of the rocky, Mediterranean outdoors. This residence is truly a portrait of slow-living, natural elegance and the spirit of Mediterranean living - GCA Architects went above and beyond the project's scope, converting this into a safe retreat for the families who reside in them.

Ph. Salva López