Design Sweet: Ibiza Boutique Sluiz

Ibiza has a new buzzword in SLUIZ, the quirky design store in Santa Gertrudis that’s leading the way in creative interiors.

LIKE an Aladdin’s Cave of treasures, Santa Gertrudis shop SLUIZ is packed with exquisite stock. The enormous space specialises in inspiring interiors from around the world. Moroccan tea glasses, Mexican rugs and Asian textiles take you on a global expedition through different countries and cultures.

From the cheap to the steep, the simple to the eccentric, the space is literally floor-to-ceiling with quirky homewares: sacking-covered cushions, shell-adorned boxes, giant toadstools, arm and feet-moulded money banks, sardine can shaped pottery, goldfish candles, trash cans decorated with sausage string ornaments and animal skin rugs, to name but a few. Giant industrial water containers dangle from the ceiling, reincarnated in their new life as lampshades. Xylophones hang from the juice bar and an assortment of vintage chairs have been given a new lease of life with patterned African covers. Meanwhile outside in the terrace a chain of multicoloured armless mannequins line the garden wall.

At SLUIZ the imagination knows no bounds and the creativity of owners Hans and Yvon Nuyten seems limitless. The Dutch pair took over the former Bazaar venue in April after outgrowing their Sant Josep store, which is now dedicated solely to art. The new venue feels more like a trendy house than a shop, and is decked out in everything you think you need and those things you thought you didn’t but find hard to resist; the miniature dildos have been a best seller.

Kitsch and eclectic, chic and surreal, SLUIZ is a visual feast, a rainbow of knick knackery to whet your creative appetite. Stock is imported from various locations, the majority from Holland, but some production also takes place on site. From exclusive one-off products to well-known brands, the modern to retro, you’re as likely to come across second-hand ‘60s furniture as you are cutting-edge fashion. It is bursting at the seams with souvenirs and gift ideas: umbrellas, coffee makers, candle holders, tea cups and saucers, cabinets, throws, chess boards and lanterns.

At the rear of the store you’ll find a finca for nail and massage therapies and a charming garden space which has
been utilised for wine tastings, screenings and markets and has endless potential for festive events. So much more than a store, SLUIZ is an inspiring experience that is beautifully executed; ideal for browsing, lounging and losing yourself in lazy afternoons.

First published in Pacha Magazine, Ibiza, July 2011.
© Abbey Stirling