Villa Schefflera

Villa Schefflera, a comprehensive renovation.

The design of the villa was inspired by the client’s spirit and a desire to transform her old holiday house into something new and modern. After a period of discussion with the architect it became clear what she had in mind, a white, modern villa with veranda embedded into a tropical garden. The house, that will eventually become her permanent residence, should reflect memories of her late husband and the joy of past family holidays.

Villa Schefflera is located in a leafy, 1970s suburb in Estepona, very close to the Mediterranean.

A large veranda surrounds the ground floor allowing outdoor living with tropical plants and flowers and shades the interior from the summer sun. The upper floor offers as many sea views as possible. The master bedroom and the studio are surrounded by a spacious deckcovered with a wooden pergola. Here is where the connection to the sea is made. Privacy to the neighbouring houses is provided by planting in the garden and on the deck itself.

From the start, the architecture and the garden design were strongly interconnected. The two elements combine to create the atmosphere of the villa.

The layout of the villa, together with carefully placed windows all around, provides cross ventilation to cool the interior. This creates a comfortable climate, without the need for air conditioning, for most of the year.

The ground floor veranda and the upper floor pergola prevent solar gain in summer but allow low, winter sun to enter the interior.

Outdoor areas, on all sides of the house, allow living wherever the climate is most comfortable at any time of day or at any time of year.

Sustainable materials have been used wherever possible. These include wood for the windows and pergola, rock wool insulation in the walls and on the roof, recycled wood interior doors and lime mortar for the exterior render.

Mechanical climatization has been designed with energy saving in mind. A high efficiency air-source heat pump provides heating, cooling and hot water. Installation of photovoltaic panels on the roof is currently underway to reduce, to near zero, electricity consumption from the grid.

Antique furniture, dark wood doors from the original house and dark wood window frames contrast with the modern, light interior. The design combines economic, off the shelf, products with high-end, bespoke items. Colourful artworks and furniture placed in the white interior reflect the colourful bougainvillea placed within the green of the surrounding garden.

Although the house has been totally transformed, traces of the original have been left as reminders of the past. The new house, a large, modern and airy villa embraces the future.