Drawing upon the life and philosophy of Jørn Utzon, the Ferm Living x Utzon – Can Lis Collection, realised in collaboration with the Utzon Center, pays homage to an architect whose work transcended conventional boundaries
Photography by Ferm Living
Words by TF Chan
Beyond their enviable seaside settings, there is little in common between Sydney Opera House and Can Lis. The former, celebrated the world over for its billowing sails, is a feat of audacious imagination and exceptional engineering. The latter is known mostly to architectural devotees, who see genius in its simple geometric forms and nod to the Mallorcan vernacular. The Opera House was conceived as a landmark, and wound up changing the image of an entire country. Can Lis was born of humbler intentions. Forced to resign from the Opera House project, Jørn Utzon sought respite in Mallorca, ultimately creating this series of sandstone pavilions where he could be secluded from the world, and at one with nature.
The contrast between the two buildings is precisely what drew Phillipp Materna to Can Lis. Materna was appointed the head of design at the Danish furniture label Ferm Living in 2023, and has made the Mallorcan retreat the focal point of his first collection, launched in March. ‘Utzon was an artistic mastermind who did not compromise,’ Materna describes. ‘That Can Lis was the project after Sydney Opera House shows how he challenged himself across scales and palettes. There is something timeless and elemental about Can Lis, and when you consider the fact that it was built as an escape from his experiences in Sydney, you can’t help but feel part of his soul, and understand what fuelled his creativity.’
Photography by Ferm Living
The Utzon Center had approached Ferm Living to collaborate, and Materna saw this as a fantastic opportunity ‘to tap into what we see in ourselves’. Founded in 2006, Ferm Living is younger than most key players in the Danish furniture industry, with a palette less defined by the mid-century masters. As Materna describes, ‘it is newer, and at the same time more rustic. We thought Can Lis also embodied a bit of our spirit, in that it’s not Scandinavian with a capital S. There’s something else to it.’
In preparation for the collection, Materna and his colleagues spent a week in Can Lis, immersing themselves in the architecture from six in the morning to eleven in the evening. The visit was revelatory. While Materna had studied Can Lis through a wide range of images, it was only here that he ‘could fully grasp the magic of Utzon’s interventions’.
He explains, ‘In photos, Can Lis seems quite monolithic and monastic. But when you actually engage with the physicality of the space, you realise how considerate and warm it is. You see how he oriented the apertures and windows to give different views of the site and the sea, and experience the interplay of shadow and light.’
Photography by Ferm Living
Can Lis is a place that rewards embodied presence, a reminder to slow down and cherish the moment. And despite its simple structure (Utzon had famously modelled the plan in sugar cubes), it conceals hidden depths. Materna, who grew up in his father’s ceramics studio, was particularly struck by Can Lis’ ‘magnificent’ ceiling tiles, which retain the hand marks of the artisans who fired them. The qualities of Utzon’s building have been beautifully transposed into Ferm Living’s pieces, which are understated yet expressive. They are not reproductions of the furniture at Can Lis, but rather an homage to the meditative and tactile qualities of the place. As the collection description goes, it ‘explores what it means to create within and alongside legacy’.
Take for example the ‘Aukko’ dining table, which is made from Douglas fir (a close match for the Madera Norte pine that Utzon had specified for Can Lis’ woodwork, to offset the austerity of the sandstone blocks). The round table top rests on a pentagonal base formed from interlocking wooden sheets, with gaps in between that nod to the gapped walls that frame Can Lis’ dazzling sea views. These are perfectly paired with the ‘Vist’ dining chair, in the same material and with similar intersecting planks, a robust elegance that evokes the rugged coastal landscape. Another piece of wooden seating, the ‘Sala Piece’ stool, has a square top crafted from four perpendicularly oriented wooden blocks, which reference Utzon’s geometric tilework.
Photography by Ferm Living
The ‘Deya’ coffee table and side table, both intended for outdoor use, are likewise inspired by the ceramic tiles at Can Lis, though manufacturing constraints dictate that these are made from fibre-reinforced concrete. In each design, the top is ring-shaped, with radial grout lines that correspond to the sturdy legs. Rounded edges serve to soften the tables’ profiles, while the lustrous dark green finish brings to mind Mallorca’s distinctive fauna.
With light being so integral to the experience of Can Lis, it was natural that Ferm Living would include a pendant lamp and table lamp (both called ‘Oeste’, with travertine shades to recreate the experience of casting light on stone), as well as portable lamp (the ‘Luver’, with angled shades reminiscent of the louvred windows and doors throughout Can Lis). There’s also the ‘Newel’ modular candle holder set, whose travertine blocks invite tactile exploration.
But it is the ‘Otto’ fire pit that stands out: a hexagonal design with radial legs similar to the ‘Deya’ tables, and crafted from naturally patinated Corten steel. This is a new typology for Ferm Living, Materna says. ‘We wanted to tie into that elemental aspect of the Can Lis site and move into something more primal.’
Photography by Ferm Living
There’s ceramic mugs and cups, and a textile collection all bearing bird motifs excerpted from Fugle, a drawing by Utzon of five birds balancing on a cliff’s edge. Materna is fascinated by how the drawing eventually informed the placement of the pavilions within Can Lis. ‘It’s the idea of being romantic while pragmatic. Basing a building off that sketch is so unbelievably beautiful, we wanted to put that forward into the world.’
Over the years, Ferm Living has earned a strong reputation for its designs for kids, which Materna enjoys. ‘Realising that the end user is a child unlocks a different level of perception as to what an object should do. It reminds us not to take life so seriously,’ he says. The new collection continues in this tradition by including a Calderesque mobile (whose largest component is crescent moon-shaped, like one of the most memorable apertures within Can Lis) and a set of building blocks. And then there’s Materna’s personal favourite: the ‘Opty’ boat, a minimalist yet irresistible creation in oak and MDF, which nods to Utzon’s love of the sea.
Photography by Ferm Living
As the coda to the project, the Ferm Living team returned to Can Lis to shoot the completed pieces, an opportunity that both excited and unnerved Materna. ‘There was this anxiety of producing something in a vacuum, poring over the idea of doing justice to Utzon and to Can Lis, and not knowing until it’s there whether it feels organic or fitting,’ he recalls. ‘My hope is that it does, because of all the effort that went
into it. That’s the feeling I had when I returned to Can Lis to photograph the collection.’
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