are you dreaming of a design house with a lot of personality for your next getaway or vacation? We introduce you to Clara Infante and Toph Taylor –aka Sohn–, a very “traveled” couple. He is British and she… “I was born in Barcelona, my father is Catalan and my mother is French. When I was six years old, we went to live in the United States. First to Miami and then to Los Angeles, a city where I spent ten years. There I met my husband, both working in the music industry, and our first child was born”, Clara introduces herself.
Toph is a musician, which means months of touring Europe. That said, they were clear that they didn't want his little newborn to endure hours of flights and jet lag.
After Eliot, who is now four years old, were born Lenny (2) and Atlas (1).
So, his transfer to Catalonia was for a logistical reason. "We decided to leave Los Angeles and move to a country house, close to my family and in a place with a climate similar to what we were used to: sun and heat!", She says. And boy did they find it. Until design evokes Californian homes!
Bedroom in Mesquita House.
Clara turned away from music, however, in her new path, she kept the creative concerns and she turned to textile design. “I learned a lot by reading and experimenting by dyeing fabric with food scraps from my kitchen, creating colored beeswax pencils with plant-based and earth-based dyes.”
And it is that in Mosque House there is a small garden of dye plants, that change according to the season but, usually, there are Indigo, Tagetes, and other varieties that grow throughout the year. And outside the borders they inhabit, in Garraf there are acorns, laurel, and very colorful soil... Ideal for Infant projects. You can see the result in the Copito store.
Mosque House exterior.
Sustainability is something fundamental for the Taylor-Infantes: “Casa Mesquita is a passive house and it was one of the reasons why we decided to buy it.
And that name? “It has always given me the feeling of a place of worship, like a cathedral, with its eight meter high walls, the windows that go to the sky... and, being on Mesquita Street, it seemed ideal to me”, she describes.
Modern, rustic and very cozy, this shelter was built fifteen years ago. It is ecological, with a minimal carbon footprint. The rooms are spacious, and the living rooms and kitchen even more so. It faces south and there is never a lack of light, It is perfect for families or groups of friends.
Relax and Mediterranean life, at Casa Mesquita.
“It has 240 square meters, swimming pool and several terraces, there are many shared spaces distributed in such a way that you can spend time alone without the obligation to lock yourself in”, reveals the artist. And she continues: “There are two floors, four bedrooms and three bathrooms, two living rooms, a dining room, a balcony and two terraces”. There is nothing.
The wood, the brick and the color palette seem to be taken from Clara's work, they are warm and inspired by the environment, with soul.
The house is just 15 minutes from Sitges and 35 minutes by car from Barcelona airport. If you want to spend a season in the mediterranean coast, it is a more intimate alternative to a hotel. It is available for vacation rental during the summer months, Easter or Christmas.
Its decoration is cozy and warm.
"Us we pack and we go to the mountains of the Pyrenees or we travel in a motorhome”.
In the roadmap that they leave their guests, there is no lack the beach of Far of Sant Cristofol in Vilanova i la Geltrú. “Also Índia Mon Amour, in Sitges, which has the best selection of women's clothing.
And to eat, the hostel restaurant Les Piques, in Olivella, the best food in the whole area”, Clara reveals with a stealthy voice. And to finish, already from the door and observing Eliot, Lenny and Atlas, smiling, scampering like free fawns, She says goodbye with a certainty: "Going for a walk through the vineyards next door is the best plan for children."
Detail of Mosque House.
"A sublime house, a haven of peace in the middle of a peaceful catalogue, Away from the coastal hustle and bustle of Sitges, yet close by transport.” Or as one of the comments on Airbnb says: "A perfect place to a successful and rejuvenating break”.