HOW I REDECORATED THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE

By

Rafael Galan

My main challenge was to make the place inconspicuous. I wanted the new Fortress of Solitude to be something in between a private tropical retreat and a South Mediterranean fisherman's house.

When I was first contacted to do the job, I thought right away of a sophisticated beach shack. Nothing overdone, nothing ostentatious. Modernism understood in a rustic way. You will find now a secret citadel, in harmony with the land and the sea that surround it. I'm an island kind of person. And I like to surprise myself, as well as my clients. Absolutely.

My main inspiration? Doc Savage's fortress of solitude. A place where a superhero can leave the superhero behind. What did I learned from Doc? Every house must have a cozy bedroom, just like Doc's main bedroom. And every room must have a little spot where you love to sit and read and where you can see everything that is lovely around you.

This is what I have done with the Fortress of Solitude: I synthesized the 900 squared-feet space into two master suites and a big living room/dining room/kitchen with an inviting courtyard pool. Crazy, isn't it? There's something really amazing about floor-to-ceiling glass and about being very minimal. Thin alabaster columns now provide a subtle visual distinction between the living room and the entrance hall.

I have also formed outdoor living and dining areas with tables, long benches and low walls made of kryptonian crystal.

I completely redid the gardens, planting cascades of bougainvillea and gardenias among olive trees. My secret touch was the swimming pool: surrounded by blocks of granite. How do you like that?

This is what I always tell my clients: "Surprising juxtapositions lead to an eclectic formality." Superman? He understood that right away. I'm eager to work with him again.

Oh, and I also recovered the memorial statue of Jor-El and Lara. Forget about holograms. Real Carrara marble.

What else? Oh, yes, the fantastic library. When you look at someone's books, it just tells you who they are (or who they really want to be). We agree on that, right? Everybody knows that Superman is really into historical biographies. His dog, Krypto, and I have put together the most complete library you could imagine of Western civilization through biography. I'm so proud.

Sometimes, I admit it, I like to joke. I like to combine misery and luxury, modern and antique, east coast and west coast. Am I a visionary? I don't think so.

By the way, all the lamps in the fortress are from Sentimento and the accessories are from Amy Perlin Antiques.