Dolli's World
Australian art curator Dolli Taylor moved to Mallorca on a whim. Fast forward a few years, and she’s become one of the island’s most talked-about creatives.
Starting over in a new country—without knowing the language, having a circle of friends, or any professional connections—is no small feat. But for Australian interior designer and art curator Dolli Taylor, who uprooted her life in Sydney to chase love and new beginnings on Mallorca, there was never a doubt she’d go all in on her new life in Spain—and never look back.
“I was determined to make it work,” she recalls. "I realized the best way to meet people and build connections was to create a project that would bring creativity and community together."
She used the fresh start as an opportunity to launch trobat.co, an online platform inspired by her lifelong passion for collecting artisan-made treasures. The shop showcases an edited selection of handmade objects from around the world: embroidered linens from Provence, a mother-of-pearl spoon set from a mom-and-pop shop in Greece, a seashell-encrusted jewelry box from Morocco. To promote her new venture and connect with Mallorca’s creative community, she began hosting pop-ups in unexpected locations across the island, styling each space with décor and art from the website. Her first event, held in the 500-year-old castle Son Sard, drew 800 attendees—a remarkable turnout for someone new to the island.
Since then, Dolli has become a major figure in Mallorca’s art and design scene, and trobat.co has ballooned to more than 35 artists and makers from the Balearics and beyond. The collective now represents names such as Uruguayan painter Alfonso Reyes, Lisbon-based ceramicist Anna Demidova, and Zimbabwean sculptor Xanthe Somers.
Last year, capitalizing on the success of her pop-up series, Dolli and her partner, Fabio Donghi, opened Trobar—a bar, restaurant, shop, and gallery housed in a three-story space in Cala Ratjada, on Mallorca’s northeastern tip. Trobar quickly became one of the island’s most exciting new cultural hubs, featuring a moody subterranean cocktail bar inspired by 1970s Italian lounges (complete with a vinyl listening pod), a zero-waste restaurant decorated in playful hues of lime green and bubblegum pink with Dalí-inspired cutlery (a collaboration between Dolli and Lisbon-based jeweler Sebastião Lobo), and a rooftop terrace adorned with a mural by Spanish artist Mister Piro, among other spaces. Every square inch is shoppable. Visiting Trobar feels like stepping into Dolli’s art-filled, whimsical world—a place where creativity flourishes and cross-cultural connections are easily forged.
I caught up with Dolli after her whirlwind 2024 season (she admits she hasn’t taken a day off in months) to chat about her lifelong love of collecting, her go-to island hangouts, and what’s next for Trobar.
You grew up in an antiques-filled home in a suburb near Sydney. Tell me about your early exposure to art and design.
I come from a family deeply obsessed with craft and design. My dad, a lawyer, moonlighted as an antiques collector, and my mom is an interior designer. The house we grew up in was a bit of a hoarder’s paradise—there was a designated spot for all the treasures my dad scooped up at auctions. Every week, a new FedEx delivery would arrive. One week, it’d be vintage champagne buckets from France; the next, wax seals from Italy. And we could never go anywhere as a family without my dad rerouting us to swing by an antique auction or shop. So, yeah, collecting is very much in my blood.
And you originally pursued a career in fashion, right?
That’s right. I spent more than a decade in public relations, managing marketing and communications for Australian Fashion Week and working with brands including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger. But being good at something doesn’t necessarily make it for you, you know? I never felt like my creativity was fully applied in the world of fashion or that the work was truly fulfilling. I didn’t enjoy the grind of going into an office, and I never really felt at home in Australia. In Sydney, there seemed to be a rule for everything—it all felt so restrictive and bureaucratic.
So, how did you find your way to Mallorca?
In 2018, I traveled to Italy for a friend’s wedding. While I was there, I ran into an Italian man—my now-husband, Fabio Donghi—who lives in Mallorca and whose production company manages events for Australian Fashion Week. We’d worked together periodically over the years, but this time, we hit it off and started a long-distance relationship, squeezing in visits between work commitments around the world. After spending just 25 days together in total, I knew he was the person for me. So, in 2019 I dropped everything and moved to Mallorca.
Was it easy to adapt to life on the island?
Not at all—it took me a while to find my footing. As a publicist, I was used to the constant buzz: socializing, hustling, meeting deadlines. Moving to Mallorca meant starting from scratch; recreating that fast-paced lifestyle just wasn’t possible here. I went from having a big network to knowing no one, not speaking the language, and having no clue where the cool things were happening. The island is big and quite spread out, and since I live far from Palma, breaking into the creative scene wasn’t easy.
Did moving to the island influence your decision to launch trobat.co?
Absolutely. Settling here inspired me to take the plunge and formalize my passion for art and design. Throughout my career, I’ve been lucky to travel to all corners of the world and discover amazing creative pockets and communities—artist studios, ceramics workshops, you name it. Trobat.co became a way to bring all those discoveries together and shine a spotlight on the emerging artisans I’ve encountered over the years.
And how does it work? Do you have exclusivity over the artists you represent?
No, I don’t believe in exclusivity—this is where I differ from a gallery. I want the artists to succeed and have all the opportunities they need to thrive. I never discount their work, and I cover all the costs. All they need to do is provide me with their pieces.
The trobat.co platform spans a variety of mediums and materials—paintings, sculptures, ceramics, glass works, mosaics, jewelry, and everything in between. What ties it all together?
It’s about pieces that resonate with me and reflect my sensibility, which is quite eclectic, a little throwback, sometimes abstract. Most of the time, I’ll just send a DM or email to an artist and say, ‘Hey, I love your work. Would you want to come on board?’ So far, everyone I’ve reached out to has said yes.
What inspired you to start hosting pop-ups?
At a certain point, I was craving community—not just online but in person. Mallorca is full of extraordinary old homes, many of which are a bit lost and forgotten, and I thought, why not host a pop-up in one of these grand estates? I approached the owner of a beautiful house that was on the market. She’s a cool woman who loves art, so she was excited by the idea. She even let me take down everything in her house and drill holes into the walls to hang paintings and sculptures. At the time, the trobat.co collective included just eight artists, and I only knew a handful of people on the island. I put out a soft promo on Instagram and wondered if anyone would actually attend. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect 800 people to show up.
Last year, after hosting a string of successful pop-ups, you decided to launch a physical space, Trobar, in the north of the island. Why?
By then, I had amassed a solid group of international clients who loved the idea of visiting the pop-ups but could never make it work with their busy schedules. That got me thinking about creating something more permanent. Mallorca is such a seasonal destination, so I liked the concept of a year-round home for art, design, and great food and drink—somewhere beyond Palma.
One day, I was driving through my neighborhood and passed this gorgeous building I must’ve driven by a hundred times. It was completely derelict but had these beautiful arches and Greek-style statues on the terrace. I contacted the seller, a local woman who had actually attended one of my pop-ups and bought several of my artists’ paintings. She explained that the property had been up for rent for years but that she was waiting for the right project. When I told her my idea, she was immediately on board. A few weeks later, we started renovating, and as we went along, the concept and budget just kept growing. Now it’s a fully renovated, three-level space with three distinct concepts. It has surprised a lot of people in the area because it’s so out of place for this part of the island, which is quite beachy and agricultural.
What are some of your favorite spots on Mallorca beyond Trobar?
There’s a fabulous restaurant called Little Jarana that started as a pop-up and is now a permanent spot. The chef is incredible—the menu changes daily, and they have fantastic wines by the glass. It’s low-key, but the whole experience feels elevated. In the summer, you can’t beat Restaurante Ca’s Patro March in Cala Deià, one of the oldest chiringuitos on the island. They serve delicious seafood in a spectacular yet unpretentious seaside setting.
For art, I love La Bibi, a contemporary art gallery housed in a beautiful Mallorcan stone building. Inside, it’s this vast contemporary space with a gorgeous garden. Most galleries feel a bit sterile to me, but La Bibi is warm, welcoming, and always buzzing with life.
What’s next for Trobar?
We’re planning a packed lineup of events for spring and summer 2025, including artist workshops, special dinner series, and plenty of live music. These elements were all features of our pop-ups, so I want to keep the feeling of intimacy and discovery alive.
What do you love most about living on Mallorca?
The sense of freedom, openness, and creativity. The community here is incredibly supportive and receptive to new ideas. I truly believe this island has so much potential—there’s still an abundance of hidden talent and undiscovered places. I feel excited and grateful to be a part of it.
A very good excuse to go back to Mallorca!