MY WORLD OF TRUTH

Romantically decaying, historic houses have become synonymous with the city of Havana, but there is more to the city’s interior style than that. In Havana Living Today (Rizzoli), the author Hermes Mallea writes: “For the last fifty years Havana’s houses have evolved in a very individual way, neither following aesthetic trends nor fashioned by design professionals. Their authentic Cuban style has been accomplished while struggling with limited resources – a testament to the famous Cuban ingenuity.” (Credit: Adrian Fernandez)

The artist Jose Emilio Fuentes Fonseca creates pieces that are associated with the Outsider, or Naïve, art movement, created by artists with little or no contact with mainstream art world institutions. His apartment in Vedado, Havana, is full of his own artworks, some of them commenting on Cuban politics. The artist, otherwise known as JEFF, showcases largescale works in his dining room, where a mismatched collection of chairs surrounds a mid-Century table, in keeping with the clean architectural lines of the 1950s apartment building. (Credit: Adrian Fernandez)

The light, airy 1950s house of Katherina Voss and Enrique Arias has been lovingly restored. The mid-Century chairs surround a glass table on a wood base, crafted by Cuban carpenters, who also created the outdoor table. (Credit: Adrian Fernandez)

The Norwegian ambassador’s residence in Havana weaves original 1950s touches together with newer elements. The style is sleek and airy, with special attention given to the garden, where palms and bamboos create a lush, leafy ambience around the newly built outdoor terrace. (Credit: Adrian Fernandez)

The Cuban-born art collector Ella Cisneros has renovated her Havana house – the home was originally built in pre-revolutionary times by a successful distillery-and-sugar-mill owner, for his second wife. The distinctive, curve-sided swimming pool and elegant gardens flow seamlessly into the interior. (Credit: Adrian Fernandez)

This mid-Century house designed by Havana architect Frank Martinez is in the Siboney neighbourhood of the city, and is typical of the Tropical Modernist style of the era. Doors between rooms fold away, making the space flexible and easily transformed. Stained-glass windows are a central feature, and the Hollywood Baroque-style dining table adds a quirky, romantic touch. (Credit: Adrian Fernandez)