The living space of a three bedroom apartment at 101 on Cleveland, designed by Bergman & Mar. Image by Taran Wilkuhu

London-based interior design studio Bergman & Mar has developed a reputation for designing unique, artisanal spaces for London’s sleekest new developments. The studio’s latest project, 101 on Cleveland, combines organic elements with brass detailing to bring organic luxury to Fitzrovia. LUX speaks to the founder, Petra Arko, about craftsmanship, storytelling, and the art of bringing a show apartment to life

1. Bergman & Mar is renowned among London’s leading property developers. How do you bring the show apartments you work on to life?

Our vision for every project is created by staging and storytelling. We immerse ourselves and understand the area, culture, space, and potential homeowners’ needs for each project. We love incorporating organic shapes, daring palettes, and unique textures into our schemes to provide personalised solutions for our clients that have a lasting impact. I still get excited when we walk into a new but very bare apartment: it’s like an empty shell. It’s wonderful to give it a soul and transform the space into a warm, welcoming home.

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2. Your latest project, 101 on Cleveland, draws clear inspiration from nature with its autumnal interiors. What was the thinking behind the palette?

Colour impacts the human mind and helps create ideas whilst generating certain emotions, so we always try to base our selection on that concept. The palette for the 101 on Cleveland project was carefully thought through to represent the diversity and history of the location. A selection of various finishes were combined to show a subtle mix of elegance that all contribute to the look and feel of the apartment. Brass detailing and organic elements flow throughout the entrance, living, dining and study spaces to create a sophisticated space that reflects the streets of Fitzrovia.

The live edge dining table is one of our favourite pieces. As you walk into the space, your eyes can’t help but be drawn to the walnut slab’s visual textures and organic edge, which gives a unique feel to the area. We discovered Martelo & Mo [who designed it] not too long ago. They’re a British-made studio run by a husband and wife with a passion for designing and creating functional, well-made furniture from sustainably sourced materials. We love their approach to creating handcrafted pieces of furniture made with their minds and hands that respect the integrity of materials while considering how they look and feel.

3. How does sustainability intersect with your design process, aesthetic and otherwise?

Longevity and sustainability in design is nothing new to Bergman & Mar: we are passionate about [these things] and strive to ingrain [them] in all of our projects. The change now is about making sustainable design attractive and stylish. We are moving away from purchasing off the shelf by investing in vintage, upcycled and bespoke furniture, looking to source those unique and iconic designs of the past and working with craftsmen and makers that are consciously sourcing and working with sustainable materials.

One of the apartment’s bedrooms. Image by Taran Wilkuhu

4. Bergman & Mar frequently draws together the work of established designers with that of emerging ones. Why is that important to you?

We work not only to support ethical and sustainable furniture, but also strive to recommend genuinely inspirational people with meaningful stories. We aim to source pieces our clients can keep for life and perhaps pass on to the next generation. The design should not be for single-use and should last forever; likewise, we want to uncover the makers that [have longevity], will be the next Jeanerette or Eames. Design that is within reach, and yet beautiful, long-lasting and iconic.

Read more: Legendary Designer Christian Louboutin on Passion & Solidarity

Something very magical happens when you find a beautiful workshop making genuinely unique, quality handmade products. The makers are modest, down-to-earth personalities that live and breathe their designs. We live to work with these individuals, share their stories, their struggles and wins.

5. How has your Slovenian heritage informed your design philosophy?

I grew up in Slovenia during socialism, where our unique geographic position nestled in the Alps (between Austria, Italy, Hungary and Croatia) meant that we benefited from rich cultural and design influences. In the small alpine town where we lived, the craftsman and makers were part of the community. Perhaps Fitzrovia’s colourful cultural history and home to British craftsmanship resonate with me in this sense. Our vision [when we began the studio] was to create a space that was a combination of cultures coming together: we sourced items from various artisans and local suppliers to provide a curated list of re-editioned and future icons that resulted in a unique apartment space.

6. What’s the story behind the name Bergman & Mar?

Slovenia is nestled between the Adriatic Sea and the Julian Alps, so Bergman (‘mountain man’) and Mar (‘sea’). Mar is also part of my mother’s maternal name. The name Bergman & Mar is also a somewhat sentimental reference to my childhood and the influence my dad had on my creativity. My dad is a film director, and his book about Ingmar Bergman sat on our piano when I was growing up.

Find out more: bergmanandmar.com

Picasso Towers is a €225m residential development including luxury penthouses and apartments

Picasso Towers is Málaga’s latest luxury residential development, featuring 213 apartments on the seafront. Conceived by Sierra Blanca Estates in collaboration with Metrovacesa – and with endorsement from Antonio Banderas – the project aims to transform the Spanish city into more than just a holiday destination. Here, LUX Editor-in-Chief Darius Sanai speaks to Pedro Rodriguez, the founder of Sierra Blanca Estates, about the challenges of the project, creating demand and Málaga’s future

Pedro Rodriguez

LUX: Can you tell us your story and how you came to work in development?
Pedro Rodriguez:  I studied tourism and I was the top producer of tourism to Spain from the United States for more than 10 years. I actually worked for Thomas Cook more than 40 years ago. And even though I was very successful as a tour operator there was something that made me consider making a change. It was actually two or three things I think. Number one and most important, was when Spain joined the European Union back in ’85. At that point, I was reading a book that was about Megatrends, which was written by a sociologist, and he came to predict what was happening already in the USA. People and companies establishing the North Industrial coal estates were moving to the Sunbelt, especially to California and Florida, looking more than anything for quality of life – obviously in Florida, as you know, they have a tax advantage also. This transformed Florida into one of the most successful states in the USA. Well, I didn’t have to be a genius to think that if I was going to make an investment back in ’85 it should be in Spanish real estate, because the same thing [that happened in Florida] was probably going to happen in Spain. So that was how I started. I invested in real estate, but from day one, I invested in only what I considered was going to be the best project for the future.

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LUX: When did you decide that Málaga would be a focus with Picasso Towers?
Pedro Rodriguez:  We started to buy the project five or six years ago. At that time, people were very sceptical that we could even build this type of project. Almost everyone was sceptical, but when we explained the idea to Antonio Banderas, who is our ambassador, he agreed because he is somebody that will do anything to promote the city where he was born. So we explained the philosophy behind the project and how we wanted to contribute to Málaga as a residential destination.

Successful people want to enjoy the fruit of their success and as these people are looking to invest in real estate, they are thinking about where they want to live, but also where they want to establish their own startups, their own companies. That is what is going to help to transform Málaga not just as a vacation or residential destination, but as a community of all nationalities.

A render of an apartment’s interiors inside Picasso Towers

LUX: Is it a challenge that people do not tend to think of Málaga as a location where you’d buy a very high-end holiday home?
Pedro Rodriguez: Málaga has been projected as a cultural destination in the last 10 years, and it has been celebrated in many interesting films. Also, as you know, it’s an old city – it’s more than 2-3,000 years old. It has not only the old town, but also the Roman area. We invested and started to look at Málaga with great interest because of the way it was growing already, the attention that it was getting from entrepreneurs from Spain and all over Europe. We thought that the interest was going to bring a demand for a higher quality product, and the kinds of apartments that we are building did not exist before in Málaga. You are right that Málaga doesn’t at this point offer housing or apartments with the design or the quality that Marbella offers already, and that is what we realised.

We can already see that the demand is increasing from a variety of interesting people, who are part of the new society that it is coming to the city. It has always been my philosophy to create an end product that would be of a design and quality that will exceed whatever is on the market. There is always a demand for something very special, and the quality of the project is what generates the attention, and desire of people. I think that we are contributing a very singular, unique product with Picasso Towers, and it is helping the city to project itself as a residential destination with a quality product that didn’t exist before.

One of the towers is dedicated to luxury lifestyle amenities including three swimming pools, a premium spa, fitness centre, private cinema, playroom, co-working area and nursery, as well as incorporating the latest technology and security.

LUX: A few years ago, you published an article about how people were opposed to one of your projects in Marbella because they thought it was too big, too sophisticated for the location. Have you had similar challenges with this project in Málaga?
Pedro Rodriguez: When you are creating something unique or special that the city’s society is not familiar with, you have to accept that you will have people who don’t really believe in it. But that is normal. If you create – in whatever area or industry – something that’s special, you cannot expect the majority of people to agree and understand what you are creating otherwise it would not be original, it would not be special. That was my idea in Marbella, yes, when we began to build the Sierra Blanca. It is a special destination in Marbella, and people were thinking that it was crazy because we were investing 20 or 30 million euros of today’s money [the project was 30 years ago]. In Málaga, when I was conceiving the idea for Picasso Towers, people were sceptical as to whether Málaga was ready for that kind of project. They were proven – and we are still proving – that they were wrong. Fortunately, there is a growing number of local and international successful entrepreneurs that are changing Málaga day by day.

Read more: Why you should go to St Moritz now for perfect snow

LUX: Is it true that Málaga is becoming a tech and business destination as well?
Pedro Rodriguez:  Absolutely. New and important international companies are being established quite frequently in Málaga. It is happening almost everyday.

LUX: Are you expecting the buyers of Picasso Towers to be international?
Pedro Rodriguez:  We haven’t really started the international promotion yet, but right now, we already have Swedish or Finnish investors, but mainly Spanish. We have Real Madrid soccer players that have invested in at least four or six apartments. Eventually, it will be home to a great variety of people from almost anywhere.

LUX: Finally, what other developments do you have planned for the future?
Pedro Rodriguez: We have an excellent project under construction right now in Marbella that it is without question, the best apartment project to be built in the city in the last 20 or 30 years at least. We are really proud to say that we have come to an agreement of doing branding with Fendi Casa, and the apartments are excellent alternatives to luxury villas. It is obviously a nice apartment, but at the same time, we want to create a country club lifestyle.

The first phase of Picasso Towers apartments will be ready by the end of 2021, and the whole resort is expected to be completed by 2023. For more information visit: sierrablancaqualityestates.com; metrovacesa.com

The apartments boast spectacular views over the square and the ocean

LUX travelled to Monaco for the opening of One Monte-Carlo, the swankiest residential and retail development, in the most expensive location in Europe.

Clear blue skies, champagne poured out of magnums at breakfast time, real fur aplenty, and new flagship stores for the likes of Louis Vuitton and Céline. It can only be Monte-Carlo, and to be precise, it can only be the opening of One Monte-Carlo, a staggeringly opulent new development in the very heart of the principality, incorporating 37 apartments and dozens of fashion and luxury stores in what a property developer would call an ultra prime location.

Prince Albert II,Princesse Charlene, Prince Hereditaire Jacques and Princesse Gabriella at the inauguration of One Monte Carlo

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You may know Casino Square from its starring role in the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix and various movies, or because you park your Ferrari F 512M there when you visit the casino; now in a field of architecture engineering, it also boasts this rather beautiful development, next to the Hotel de Paris, designed by (Lord) Richard Rogers in an organic and eco-friendly style, anchored almost physically by the new Vuitton flagship.

With architecture by Richard Rogers and interior design by Bruno Moinard, One Monte Carlo houses 37 luxury apartments and dozens of retail stores

The apartments themselves are designed by the estimable Bruno Moinard, who works closely with both LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault and Kering founder Francois Pinault, personally. Interestingly, the apartments are only available for long-term rental not purchase. More than half have already been rented for the next 12 months, with some lucky residents paying more than €2 million a year. For les happy few, there is no better location in Monaco, or possibly Europe.

Darius Sanai