Wallpaper* Architect Of The Year 2026: Je Ahn of Studio Weave on a building that made him smile

I recently completed my own home on the Isle of Wight. The budget was limited, but the project had an inherent sense of luxury in that I was in the unusual position of being my own client, so I could respond more nimbly and directly to project demands, such as the site’s conditions, market pricing and contractor capacity. It was a deeply personal project, where the closeness of the relationship between the makers and the architect-client (me and myself ) meant that normal constraints, such as the realities of a moving-in deadline, didn’t have an effect on the project’s aims.

This attitude is a great way to introduce the building that I wanted to talk about here, as it ties to ideas of flexibility, comfort and looseness – ultimately, having the trust and confidence to be relaxed about the result.

Can Lis in Mallorca was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon in 1971. It now hosts artist residencies through the Danish Arts Foundation in collaboration with the Utzon Foundation. I stayed there for two weeks in 2014 as part of that programme.

It is interesting to understand the context that it was created in. Utzon had just come back from working on the Sydney Opera House. He had resigned following disagreements with the client, left Australia for good, and was totally distraught. He decided to come to Mallorca and build a home for himself and his family. He first bought a plot up in the mountains, but the authorities at the time wouldn’t allow him to build there. He ended up on the current site, which is an amazingly beautiful place on the cliff near Portopetro.

Now, if you look at other Utzon buildings, they feel really precise and controlled geometric structures, and you have to remember this house was created by the man who had just come out of designing the dramatically modern Sydney Opera House; and the first thing he builds right after is this humble Mallorcan house made using traditional materials.

It’s also very tailored to him. Utzon was tall and cooked a lot, so the kitchen counters, for example, were designed to match his height. He had a great relationship with his contractor and, as a result, the place feels made rather than designed. It was created to bring comfort and relaxation.

He worked with a local builder, and the house is laid out around his everyday movement and rituals. It really doesn’t feel like it was designed on paper. It looks like he was creating it alongside the build, changing elements as he went. I think he must have made a lot of the decisions on-site. The building itself is very simple. It doesn’t have any insulation. All the windows are simply mounted on the façade with a timber frame. It’s not this highly controlled thing, but at the same time, I really enjoyed staying there; it was very homelike.

A fun fact: you’re not allowed to drink red wine in Can Lis to avoid staining the beige stone floor. But I do wonder what Utzon would have thought about this, having designed the house embracing change and the unexpected. It’s such a comfortable, joyful, relaxed place. I think he wouldn’t have cared.

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