## From Madrid to a Garden of Blooms: A Sarcastic Ode to Josie’s Home
The house, affectionately nicknamed Josie’s home in Manzanares, is more than just bricks and mortar; it’s a testament to a life lived in a way that feels both familiar and utterly absurd. It’s a place where the echoes of the past mingle with the vibrant pulse of the present, a place where the scent of Seville and the aroma of olive oil linger like a comforting blanket.
I’ve escaped from Madrid, where I paid a fortune to live in a hovel. I’ve given up the noise of the city for a home where geraniums bloom on my balconies. I’ve given up the noise of the city for a home where geraniums bloom on my balconies.
This house, built in the late 18th century, was a refuge, a haven from the relentless hum of Madrid’s streets. It was a place where the scent of jasmine and the call of birds were not just a pleasant sound, but a whispered promise of a future I could only dream of.
The legacy of the agricultural oligarchy that long ruled this part of Spain lives on in structures like this manor house, with its stone columns, cobblestone courtyards, wine cellars, and olive oil presses.
The organic cotton satin cushions with crimson trim are by Gayle Warwick for Hahn Design, and are embroidered with the Villa Josie monogram.
The triptych above the headboard is by Mario Antón, and hangs from a pair of aged brass rods by Ferretería Ortiz.
Accordingly, Monzón used medieval egg tempera painting techniques for the ceiling of the Josie’s red salon on the upper floor. The artist from Zaragoza, Spain, is also responsible for the hand-turned terracotta waterspouts in the large pool near the garden, and for designing the Villa Josie emblem, which is painted on furniture and plates and embroidered on the bedding. Perhaps because he is doing so much work on the house, Josie repurposed a room formerly used to dry laundry on the artist’s behalf; it now serves as Monzón’s painting studio, where he prepares and studies color tests for the fresco he is creating.
The home is located in Manzanares, in Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha region, a land that was long known for its wines and its splendid estates.
The organic cotton satin cushions with crimson trim are by Gayle Warwick for Hahn Design, and are embroidered with the Villa Josie monogram.
The triptych above the headboard is by Mario Antón, and hangs from a pair of aged brass rods by Ferretería Ortiz.
Accordingly, Monzón used medieval egg tempera painting techniques for the ceiling of the Josie’s red salon on the upper floor.
The home is located in Manzanares, in Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha region, a land that was long known for its wines and its splendid estates. The legacy of the agricultural oligarchy that long ruled this part of Spain lives on in structures like this manor house, with its stone columns, cobblestone courtyards, wine cellars, and olive oil presses. “I’ve escaped from Madrid, where I paid a fortune to live in a hovel. I’ve given up the noise of the city for a home where geraniums bloom on my balconies,” Josie says with an air of satisfaction.
In the bedroom, an antique bed is dressed with cotton batiste sheets from Viuda de Tolrá and linens that Josie inherited from his great-aunts. The organic cotton satin cushions with crimson trim are by Gayle Warwick for Hahn Design, and are embroidered with the Villa Josie monogram. The Ábbatte bedspread is a unique piece comprised of forest green linen warp, gray merino wool weft, and gray-blue alpaca zigzag stitches. The walls are painted in Moonstone Blue from Croma Natural Paint. The white porcelain electrical switches are from Fontini’s Garby Colonial collection. The triptych above the headboard is by Mario Antón, and hangs from a pair of aged brass rods by Ferretería Ortiz. The yellow Turkish slippers are by Sabah.
## Festina lente
Here, amongst original cement tiles, lime-washed walls, allegorical frescoes, and an army of decorative swallows, Josie explains that he’s reached an existential turning point, summed up in the motto: festina lente (Latin for “make haste, slowly”). This paradoxical phrase—a call to move through life expeditiously but prudently—has inspired the work of artist Juan Monzón Gasca, whomst Josie shares a deep connection with. Accordingly, Monzón used medieval egg tempera painting techniques for the ceiling of the Josie’s red salon on the upper floor. The artist from Zaragoza, Spain, is also responsible for the hand-turned terracotta waterspouts in the large pool near the garden, and for designing the Villa Josie emblem, which is painted on furniture and plates and embroidered on the bedding. Perhaps because he is doing so much work on the house, Josie repurposed a room formerly used to dry laundry on the artist’s behalf; it now serves as Monzón’s painting studio, where he prepares and studies color tests for the fresco he is creating.
The home is located in Manzanares, in Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha region, a land that was long known for its wines and its splendid estates. The legacy of the agricultural oligarchy that long ruled this part of Spain lives on in structures like this manor house, with its stone columns, cobblestone courtyards, wine cellars, and olive oil presses. “I’ve escaped from Madrid, where I paid a fortune to live in a hovel. I’ve given up the noise of the city for a home where geraniums bloom on my balconies,” Josie says with an air of satisfaction.
In the bedroom, an antique bed is dressed with cotton batiste sheets from Viuda de Tolrá and linens that Josie inherited from his great-aunts. The organic cotton satin cushions with crimson trim are by Gayle Warwick for Hahn Design, and are embroidered with the Villa Josie monogram. The Ábbatte bedspread is a unique piece comprised of forest green linen warp, gray merino wool weft, and gray-blue alpaca zigzag stitches. The walls are painted in Moonstone Blue from Croma Natural Paint. The white porcelain electrical switches are from Fontini’s Garby Colonial collection. The triptych above the headboard is by Mario Antón, and hangs from a pair of aged brass rods by Ferretería Ortiz. The yellow Turkish slippers are by Sabah.
Festina lente
Here, amongst original cement tiles, lime-washed walls, allegorical frescoes, and an army of decorative swallows, Josie explains that he’s reached an existential turning point, summed up in the motto: festina lente (Latin for “make haste, slowly”). This paradoxical phrase—a call to move through life expeditiously but prudently—has inspired the work of artist Juan Monzón Gasca, whomst Josie shares a deep connection with. Accordingly, Monzón used medieval egg tempera painting techniques for the ceiling of the Josie’s red salon on the upper floor. The artist from Zaragoza, Spain, is also responsible for the hand-turned terracotta waterspouts in the large pool near the garden, and for designing the Villa Josie emblem, which is painted on furniture and plates and embroidered on the bedding. Perhaps because he is doing so much work on the house, Josie repurposed a room formerly used to dry laundry on the artist’s behalf; it now serves as Monzón’s painting studio, where he prepares and studies color tests for the fresco he is creating.
