The question I am going to ask is attributed to Antonio Avilés; see Question 7.7 in: * J. Garbulińska and W. Kubiś, [Remarks on Gurarii spaces][1], *Extracta Math.* **26** (2011), 235–269. however I learnt that only having already asked it myself. > Can one construct in ZFC a Banach space of [density character][2] $\omega_1$ that does not have an equivalent *strictly convex* norm? Maybe one may apply some kind of a Löwenheim–Skolem-type argument to a space that does not have a strictly convex norm? Notes: * every separable space has an equivalent strictly convex norm; * the classical examples of spaces without a strictly convex norm include $\ell_\infty / c_0$ (see also [this post][3]) and $\ell_\infty(\Gamma)$ for any uncountable set $\Gamma$. [1]: https://arxiv.org/abs/1111.5840 [2]: https://www.encyclopediaofmath.org/index.php/Density_(of_a_topological_space) [3]: https://mathoverflow.net/a/151956/15129