If you’re the kind of person who finds yourself captivated by certain houses you pass by, imagining what their interiors might look like and who lives there, thanks to interior photographer Ricardo Labougle (Buenos Aires, 1965), you can step through some of those doors. Specifically, the doors of some of Mallorca’s most spectacular homes, which take center stage in his new book *Inside Mallorca*, published by Vendôme Press and featuring a foreword by interior designer Isabel López de Quesada—whose Mallorcan home, incidentally, also appears within its pages. The book was published shortly after the success of *Inside Ibiza*.
To describe Mallorca, the Argentine-born photographer turns to one of his favorite writers, Jorge Luis Borges, who said that the island was “a place akin to happiness.” Labougle goes a step further and delves into the spaces of those lucky enough to live there—or at least spend extended periods of time there. The Balearic Islands are not new to the photographer, but after publishing Inside Ibiza, he felt that the Balearic archipelago still had many stories to tell. “Mallorca has always fascinated me because it is an island where very old houses, rural estates steeped in history, and more contemporary ones coexist, interacting with the light and the Mediterranean landscape in a very unique way,” he explains. But rather than simply showing beautiful houses, Labougle is interested in revealing the life they contain. “A house is a kind of silent portrait of those who inhabit it. In Inside Mallorca, I wanted to show the relationship between people, architecture, and the island’s landscape. The houses are very different from one another, but they all share something in common: a certain way of understanding calm, light, and the passage of time,” he reflects.
Within its pages, we have the privilege of discovering hidden corners and details of the homes of renowned antique specialists; of James Costos, the former U.S. ambassador to Spain; of art experts and artists; of models and photographers such as Celia Forner and her husband, Francesco Venturi; and of aristocrats… Regarding Sybilla’s home, the photographer tells us he was struck by its serenity: “I remember the entrance, with those stone floors worn smooth by centuries and a small altar—a very simple image, yet steeped in history.” Agatha Ruiz de la Prada’s home, on the other hand, embodies all that playful and optimistic spirit that characterizes her work: “The inner courtyard, painted a very intense fuchsia, perfectly captures that vital and deeply personal energy.”
The home of Alex de Betak—the guru behind the most memorable fashion shows and event productions—conveyed a sense of free-spirited creativity: “I especially remember the porch or pergola by the pool, a space that seemed designed for daydreaming, gathering, and entertaining,” the photographer continues. To capture that essence that permeates every corner, Labougle needs to get to know the home’s residents: “For me, it’s essential. A home is never just architecture or decoration. It’s the sum of memories, decisions, tastes, and experiences. When I meet the people who live there, I understand the space much better. Then photography becomes almost a form of storytelling.”
The biggest challenge, he notes, is capturing something that is invisible: the atmosphere. The photographer spent quite a bit of time on the island, returning at different times of the year to observe how the light changed, exploring the houses, and getting to know the people and places. A process that took him about a year and leaves the door open for a second installment: “Mallorca has so many fascinating stories and houses that there could very well be a second installment.”
Labougle, who has been photographing interiors and portraits around the world for more than 25 years, admits that he forms a very special bond with the spaces he photographs: “When I return to places where I’ve worked and photographed, I feel a great sense of familiarity, almost as if a part of me had stayed there. It’s a very comforting feeling.”
“Despite all that—or perhaps precisely because of it—Labougle doesn’t feel the need to have a home in every city he visits; it’s enough for him to enter them, discover them, and experience them through his camera. Something we can now do as well, thanks to his book.”
The cover of the book *Inside Mallorca*, photographed by Ricardo Labougle and published by Vendome Press.
*This is an original article from issue 18 of Forbes Women.