When an architect designs and builds for himself, he has the opportunity to explore the limits of his own imagination.

—Line Nørskov Davenport

Enamored with the Mediterranean sunlight, Jørn Utzon’s Can Lis is a visual ode to one of the 20th century’s most iconic houses. An early ideal of site-inspired design, Can Lis sits atop a Mallorcan cliff, almost hidden by the marés stone from which it was built. Photographs by Simon Watson trace the movement of light throughout the complex that served as Utzon’s family home for more than two decades, his first permanent residence after his work on the Sydney Opera House. A carefully curated selection of archival photographs, sketches, and plans from Utzon’s private collection guides the reader from the earliest drawings of Can Lis to the everyday ways in which the house was lived in.

A seminal essay by the late Jørn Utzon himself explores his relationship with nature, while the architect's son, Jan Utzon, recalls his family's connection to Mallorca in a conversation with Robbie Whitehead, editorial director of Apartamento. Evoking the island's endless horizon, Line Nørskov Davenport, exhibitions director at the Utzon Centre, reflects on Utzon's departure from the Opera House and the sanctuary he ultimately found in Mallorca. "Is this paradise?" she asks, referring to the initial sketch that inspired Can Lis, a dream finally realized in the house's meditative vistas, influenced only by the salty sea breeze. Can Lis, Jørn Utzon is sponsored by Ferm Living and features an exclusive foreword by Philipp Materna, brand and design director.

24 x 28.5 cm
Binding: Hardcover
120 pages