Freedom is the word Hiphouse founder and director Chantal Stuurman uses to describe living in Ibiza. ´You feel free to start a business or even to say no to a party invitation without guilt!’ she says.

When she came to Ibiza for a four-month summer holiday in 2001 Chantal had no intentions of staying on the island forever. ´I came with my two daughters, aged four and five, while my husband stayed working in Holland. We had a beautiful house on a mountain in San Lorenzo and spent our entire Ibiza holiday moving between Benirras beach and the house in an old Jeep. We had such an amazing summer I thought, let’s give it a go´.  At moving stage Chantal was seven months pregnant with her third child, a son who was born at home atop that mountain in San Lorenzo. ´I didn’t really know anybody here´, she says, ´let alone have a family doctor, but it was like he just had to be born in Ibiza.’

Chantal and husband Robbie were no strangers to the island having purchased property in Ibiza in 1997. But surely that’s a little different to completely up and moving your life? ´The transition process was actually easy – especially with three kids to keep you busy. Time passed quickly and making friends was easy – I’ve never met a local that wasn’t nice to me´. As for the kids, Chantal says, ´They adapted quickly. They’ve attended the local Catalan school from the beginning and given the small size of each class they get a lot more individual attention. They speak, read and write Spanish, Dutch and English´.

Having travelled the world for 10 years as a model, Chantal has a natural sense of style which is evident in her new venture. ´Restoring, renovating and decorating houses was something I did a few times in Holland, but never for a living – just to give our own homes a makeover´. The couple soon purchased another property in Ibiza and over eight-months their typical Ibiza finca (farmhouse) was, under Chantal´s watchful and creative eye, transformed into a work of art, without losing the traditional Ibicencan style. ‘When we finished our first Ibiza property everyone wanted the same! I started getting calls about where I got this mirror, that door, those floors from, so I figured I could turn this into a business´.

Hiphouse was officially born in 2006 and according to Chantal was, ‘an easy business to start´. Chantal believes that if you’re good at what you do, it’s easy to succeed in Ibiza. ´In London or Holland, there are a million people doing the same thing. In Ibiza you can really shine´.

Most of Hiphouse´s clients are from Holland and want to buy and renovate property in Ibiza. They are familiar with Chantal’s style and, more importantly, trust her knowledge of Ibiza and the business. ´People realise restoring and renovating is easy if someone confidently manages the project´, she explains, ´I’m the intermediary between architect and builder and the client; liaising directly with everyone involved.  I believe styles change every three years so I keep designs as simple, white and as timeless as possible, with a focus on good floors, a good kitchen and a good bathroom. This way in a few years the client will only need a new couch to achieve a new look!´

With three new projects in development, including her own new home, does Chantal still have time to enjoy Ibiza life? ‘My favourite thing is a picnic in the campo (country) with my kids. We’ll drive along, see a farmer with sheep, stop the car and the kids jump out shouting ‘Hola, Hola!’ It’s fun. The locals and the countryside – to me that’s Ibiza.´ For the bigger kids Chantal says, ´there’s dancing at Ibiza clubs like Pacha and plenty of shopping. Fun stuff is always going on – nice things, things you don’t find anywhere else.  Everyday you experience someone and something new. I feel very lucky to be here.´