Fuertes Santamarta transforms a villa in Marbella into a warm, natural and sophisticated retreat

Amid the deep green of Sierra Blanca and the persistent clarity of Marbella’s sky, the studio Fuertes Santamarta has designed a home that breathes calm and elegance. Located in the exclusive Altos Reales development, this house is more than an interior design project: it is an ode to light, to shared life, to essential comfort.

The intervention by interior designers Alicia Fuertes and Sara Santamarta began with a precise reading of the place, using noble materials and a design tailored to the way its owners, a young, modern couple, live and inhabit their space.

A serene and flowing heart

The main floor is, without doubt, the visible soul of the home. Living room, dining room and kitchen merge into a single, generous space, anchored by a central fireplace made of off-white brick laid in a herringbone pattern, seamless and sculptural. On either side, lacquered wood bookcases filled with curated objects and softly lit from above enrich the perspective and bring warmth to the room.

Each element was custom-designed and carefully considered: geometric tables made with timber selected by the owners, linen and cotton upholstery, layered rugs—a natural jute base and a vintage piece in red and green hues—, unadorned wood, delicately treated iron. It’s an aesthetic of quiet richness, natural restraint, and nuanced textures.

The kitchen opens up to the dining area in a natural flow. Lacquered in the same tone as the fireplace, it features copper details—faucets, sink, handles—that lend an understated sophistication. A large matte black oak table for ten guests, illuminated by basket-like lamps with mercury glass, anchors the composition.

The key intervention was small but decisive: removing part of the porch enclosure allowed the dining area to expand and filled the entire space with natural light. “It was a minimal, yet strategic renovation,” explains Alicia Fuertes. “We wanted this to be not just a functional space, but a social and welcoming one.” A built-in bench connects the kitchen and dining area, offering direct views of the garden—olive and lemon trees, and beyond, the Mediterranean Sea.

Next to this open-plan living space, the designers created a luminous reading room with garden views—a serene corner perfect for quiet contemplation or conversation. Also on this floor: a charming study and a stylish guest bathroom.

A retreat for rest and restoration

The upper floor includes the main bedroom with a grey linen headboard, a sculptural white plaster lamp, a white patchwork rug, a closed walk-in closet and views over the pool. The guest bedroom features a refined contrast of materials: an iron, rope and black leather bench, an off-white headboard, aged ceramic lamps, and a vintage rug in soft blues. Both rooms are dressed with 100% linen sheers.

The lower level is devoted to leisure and wellbeing, with a gym, sauna, cinema, custom wine cellar, a secondary kitchen and two additional bedrooms with ample storage space.

The dialogue between indoors and outdoors is ever-present. A custom-built pergola shelters the barbecue area, alongside a large suar wood dining table, a saltwater pool and warm, understated outdoor lighting.

A functional home with soul

This house is a retreat that allows for both intimacy and gathering. “We’re very proud of the result,” says Sara Santamarta. “Every corner reflects the lifestyle of its owners. It’s a warm, sophisticated home that didn’t need grand gestures—just thoughtful design and constant attention to detail.”

The Altos Reales project confirms Fuertes Santamarta’s philosophy: to design without ostentation, to intervene without imposition, to enhance without overwhelming. This house doesn’t feel decorated, but rather gently guided to reveal its best self. And in that process, every choice—fabric, texture, proportion—becomes a gesture of care. A project that, like the light that fills it, flows naturally.

Project: Altos Reales.
Location: Sierra Blanca. Marbella (Málaga).
Interior design: Fuertes Santamarta. Alicia Fuertes y Sara Santamarta.
Completion: 2024.
Plot area: 1.030 m².
Built area: 362 m².
Photography: Belén Imaz.

Fuertes Santamarta

At the subtle crossroads of word and form, of sensitivity and technique, Fuertes Santamarta emerges—not merely as a design studio rooted in plans and materials, but in something more intangible, and perhaps for that reason, more genuine: listening. A sincere listening to those who dwell, dream, and need. Listening as the first gesture of emotional architecture.

This interior design studio based in Marbella is the result of two complementary visions. That of Alicia Fuertes, journalist and interior designer, for whom every house is also a story worth telling with beauty and care. And that of Sara Santamarta, architect and designer, who understands space as a structure that welcomes and transforms. Together, they lead a studio where empathy is raw material, and the result always transcends the merely functional.
Read full biography.

Sources: Fuertes Santamarta y CTC Comunicación.

Project by Fuertes Santamarta