First and foremost, Cristina Lozano and Lorenzo Castillo are friends. Their professional relationship – Lorenzo as one Spainof pre-eminent interior designers and Christina as their client – this friendship was born and led to their collaboration on several projects with more in the pipeline. ‘We are like two creative souls,’ says Cristina Lorenzo. ‘We both have an unbridled passion for antiques and contemporary things Artand for the fashion of beauty.’ Naturally, Cristina’s home in Saint-Jean-de-Luz proved to be the perfect canvas for the pair to fully indulge their creative instincts.
Growing up, Cristina spent most of her time in a city on the Atlantic coast of the southwest. France – Her Basque heritage, from her mother’s side, runs through her veins. ‘My mother was born in Bilbao, but spent many years in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, especially during the Spanish Civil War,’ she explains. ‘She lives here now, as does my sister, so although my main home is in Madrid, my heart is here. These are my roots and I feel very connected to this area.’
Family was the driving force behind her decision to upscale from a small holiday house in town to this large home, which has enough space to accommodate plenty of friends as well as her husband Juan and their three sons. ‘I love to entertain,’ says Cristina, who never feels happier than when the house is full of guests. It’s not unusual, she tells me, to find each of the 17 bedrooms, divided into seven bedrooms, occupied by family and friends.
A typical Basque farmWith a half-timbered facade, gently sloping roof, shuttered windows and an arched entry portal, the house had been abandoned in the 1920s and was in ruins when Cristina first saw it. While she was toying with the idea of buying another, less challenging property nearby, Lorenzo came calling. He immediately recognized the potential of such a ‘noble’ Architecture‘ and promised that together they could make a perfect family home.
