In an age of plentiful contemporary architecture that can at times be a little repetitive, you will find a home that fits the above description to perfection in the hills above Marbella. Just a short distance from the Marbella Club Golf Resort’s equestrian centre and overlooking the meandering golf course, Casa Calma occupies a private domain that looks across an amphitheatre of hill views down to the sea.

The views are as spectacular as the setting is peaceful, yet ten minutes will take you to the main amenities – shops, schools, beaches and more, with a golf course and its clubhouse and restaurant on your doorstep. From here, Benahavís, Estepona and San Pedro Alcántara are all close by, but while the diversions of the coast are within easy reach, the country club environment surrounding the home offers absolute peace and privacy in a very natural, rustic setting.

Architectural Harmony

As befits a home of quality, you cannot immediately tell if Casa Calma was built last year or is one of those fine examples of an earlier modern home. It has all the hallmarks of a pure architectural villa whose style, quality and dimensions withstand the test of time and give it an enduring appeal that never fades away with fads and fashions.

This lies as much in the wonderful distribution of this house as it does in the fine taste that has gone into its dimensions, materials and detailing.

But Casa Calma is also a property that balances form and function, i.e. beauty and practicality, as very few homes can do. Many a Marbella villa is stylish and impressive, endowed with a full list of amenities yet then lacking in functional details. Architects are not famous for the latter, but this home is the product of a collaboration between the designer and the owner, who used his experience in building villas to ensure the home would be as convenient as it is attractive.

Follow the driveway up to a courtyard and you have the choice of a large five-car garage on ground level or a spacious three-car carport. The main entrance reveals the flow of the home around a central patio that floods it with natural light, cooling breezes and a Zen-like green space complete with orange trees and the trickling water of modern ponds and fountains.

The tall entrance hall leads on to a large open-plan living area that includes a top-end Gaggenau kitchen with large bar/island and dining room, separated from the living room by a modern gas fireplace. Quality materials abound in a space that receives natural light from the patio and the sliding doors that open out on to a panoramic terrace. Pop art is visible throughout the villa, including the full collection of Campbell’s Soup cans by Andy Warhol.

Even the mounted and low-mounted floor heaters are a design feature paired with functionality, and they go well with the comfortable sofa corner, artwork and the wing piano standing near the entrance to a private home cinema room. You see, this villa has no underground level where such amenities are usually found, but managed to create interwoven yet separate rooms on one main level – as befits a proper villa.

Art, Design And Lifestyle

Details catch the eye, and yet Casa Calma exudes a sense of space and homeliness. Formal style and informal living blend effortlessly, from the living wall by the kitchen to the electrically operated mosquito nets that allow for a cooling breeze to flow day and night through the disappearing sliding doors that completely open out onto the garden and terraces with spectacular views. An architecturally styled reclining chair provides the ideal spot from which to relax and survey the amazing views of hills and sea, while also giving a glimpse of the garden and pool below.

On summer evenings, the family gathers in a cosy seating pit that links with the lounge, but open the double doors and you enter a private wing which also overlooks the central patio. It contains three spacious bedroom suites that can be interlinked and all enjoy eastward views from their private terrace and garden areas. The master bedroom has all the comfort and style of a luxurious hotel suite, including abundant dressing space and an opulent bathroom.

Featuring a blend of light and solid-toned elements, the villa is modern, contemporary, and timeless, with distinct Asian touches in both architectural detailing and the presence of Balinese-inspired art and decoration. This is also true of the sumptuous bathroom, where once again form and function find an effortless match, as is the case throughout the villa – from the hallway office to the ample storage space, the centralised vacuum cleaning and waste disposal systems.

The fact that life is an art at Casa Calma is also visible in the home’s leisure area, which includes a professional gym, showers, a sauna, Jacuzzi, a heated indoor swimming pool with jet stream and an outdoor mini-football/sports pitch on half the size of a paddle tennis court. Yes, this is an imposing designer villa, but it is also a comfortable, functional family home that offers so much. To the five bedrooms are added a guest apartment with staff quarters with independent entrance, all fitted to the same standard.

Making The Most Of A Beautiful Setting

Take the steps down from the lounge terrace and you enter another distinct area within the property. Here, mature cork oaks and flowering shrubs set the perimeter for a green lawn garden that flows towards a spectacular infinity edge pool, which like its indoor counterpart is dressed in the natural green tones of volcanic stone from Indonesia. A few steps away from the sunbathing deck is an alluring pool house that oozes elegant relaxation.

Elegance blends with beach club ambience against a white backdrop, with curtains swaying in the breeze around a stylish lounge, dining room and chill-out area that also features a fireplace for the evenings. Bathrooms, a private outdoor shower and a professional barbecue kitchen provide the nearby amenities you’d love to have in a spot like this, along with a professional kitchen and entertainment system.

Rich in fine materials, clever functionality, lifestyle areas and tasteful decorative styling, Casa Calma is indeed a timeless gem in the hills above Marbella – a beauty spot where it was made for those who wish to make living a pleasurable art.