Claudia del Olmo
Y: Hello Clau, can you please introduce yourself?
C: My name is Claudia. I’m the co-founder of Casa Balandra, and I consider myself a citizen of the world. I was born and raised in Mallorca. My dad is Spanish but grew up in Belgium, and my mom is American, though technically half Japanese and half Italian. I’ve carried all of that with me throughout my life, and now I’ve channeled it into my own project — Casa Balandra.
Y: Can you tell us a bit more about Casa Balandra?
C: Yes! Casa Balandra is currently like a playground where we test ideas for larger-scale projects, constantly evolving and redefining what it really is. Right now, it’s a guesthouse and an artist residency. We focus on experiences centered around food, art, and conviviality.
Y: Could you share with us your creative process? How did you come up with the idea to create Casa Balandra?
C: I think the hosting aspect came very naturally, almost from birth, because my mom was always an amazing hostess. She had an open-door policy for me, my friends, and my sister’s friends—her friends were always coming and going. It was super communal from the very beginning.
I’ve always been creative, painting and cooking since I was five, and that naturally fit into the residency concept. Honestly, I didn’t really know what an artist residency was until I found one I was going to work at. Then I thought, “Oh great! This is exactly what I want to create.” It just spoke to me and my personality.
Y: Do you have any precise early memories of creativity ?
C: I was always painting from a very early age. There was a painter in my town, Pórtol, and my parents knew him—he was teaching, so I took classes with him regularly. Later, I did ceramics classes, and throughout my life, I kept going to painting school.
Besides that, my cooking practice was always strong. I remember the first time I tried making filled pasta—I must have been about 12. It came out a bit thick because I didn’t have the right rolling machine, but I was always experimenting. I’d watch the cooking channel or home decoration shows on TV—those were my things.
So I think I’ve always been creative. I can’t really pinpoint a specific moment when I thought, “This is exactly what I want to do.” Growing up, I kind of wanted to be an artist, but it felt a bit scary. So I decided I wanted to do something creative but practical. That’s how I ended up studying architecture for a year, and then design—which turned out to be way more abstract than I expected.
It was always about being creative, but not necessarily as an artist.
Y: Where do you get your inspiration from? Is it people, or certain kinds of mediums?
C: Probably just through observing everything, people especially. Instagram is obviously a source of inspiration too, but it’s really the people and environments around me that inspire me the most. I’m generally very observant in that sense. Having conversations, going to restaurants, visiting museums — that kind of stuff. Everything I do feels very organic in my life. There’s nothing I force, although I know I should probably do more, like reading books.
Y: I remember you saying in an interview that you do things with your heart, and it never feels like an effort. I really love that!
C: Yeah, exactly. Especially with Casa Balandra — everything feels completely organic and intuitive.
Y: And it’s worked so well! It’s been successful right from the start.
C: I think people really sense the passion behind it. For me, it wasn’t difficult because it was just about putting myself fully into something, you know?
Y: Yes! Like all the things you’ve been practicing and then turning into a project. Where do you see Casa Balandra in five years?
C: That’s a tough question. Funny enough, I have a meeting tomorrow with my sister Isa to talk about exactly that — what we see in five years.
I see Casa Balandra in different countries. Obviously, in five years, there’s only so much expansion possible, but I also see growth in the community we’ve built so far. Definitely in another country, maybe in a bigger space. Since it’s been very organic, I’d love for it to become more structured, with the ability to hire staff and share this project with more people.
We’re currently opening a shop, so hopefully that will be up and running, and I want to travel the world to source unique things. I also want the consultancy side of things to grow — creating moments for people everywhere to feel the spirit we’ve built here.
Y: Can you describe the creative scene in Mallorca?
C: There are a lot of creatives, but when it comes to artists, opportunities with galleries are pretty limited. There are a couple of great ones that have popped up, but overall, the scene still feels quite small.
Y: So I guess it’s more of a creative scene than an artistic one. What are people mostly doing in this creative scene?
C: A lot of people work with textiles, and there are many photographers because the island is incredibly photogenic. There are also painters—it’s slowly becoming more of a thing. Since COVID, there’s been a real shift: more young people are staying, coming back, or even moving to Mallorca, whereas before it wasn’t really an island for younger crowds. I think Casa Balandra fits right into that scene, inspiring people to keep creating and exchanging with artists from different countries. It’s definitely stimulating.
Y: What kind of advice would you give to creatives just starting their projects? Have you received any key advice you could share with us?
C: I remember my brother telling me, “You just need to go and do it.” That really stuck with me because after that, I thought, you know what, I’m just going to start — I’m just going to do it. He really believes it doesn’t have to be perfect; you just have to launch it. He’d rather launch something imperfect in six months than perfect in six years. My approach is all about doing. I truly believe that’s the key—nothing teaches you more than actually doing. That’s how you learn.
Y: And one last question — what’s been your biggest lesson from doing Casa Balandra so far, through meeting and gathering all the artists?
C: I think when you start a project, you have to accept that it will often change in many ways from your original concept. I’m always reflecting on where we are now and what we want to introduce, while still holding onto our original ideas. For me, the most important thing is to figure out the structure from the beginning, but at the same time, don’t let that stop you from being creative or from doing what you need to do.
Y: Amazing, thank you so much!
A conversation with Claudia, co-founder of Casa Balandra, Mallorca, March 2022.
