María Acha transforms a holiday home into a permanent residence—a peaceful haven connected to nature

Converting a holiday home in Andalusia into a permanent home was the aim of this project by María Acha, creating new spaces of intimacy for family and friends and achieving a home where one can enjoy peace and connection with nature. “The aim was to transform a single-family summer house into a year-round home with new spaces such as a work area, a leisure area for the winter, an exercise room and, above all, optimisation of storage “, explains the interior designer.

The keys to the refurbishment have revolved around the creation of a new, more functional layout, greater integration with the natural surroundings and the choice of natural materials that coexist harmoniously, such as clay, organic linen, oak wood, microcement and ceramics.

María Acha, in collaboration with the architect Alesander Olasagasti and the engineer Diego Rey, has reorganised this two-storey house with a surface area of 285 m2 plus 400 m2 of gardens, redesigning the flow between rooms and improving the connection between the two floors with a new staircase design.”As in all my projects, my main focus has been the exhaustive study of an optimal layout that achieves intuitive transitions and the creation of a concept and a concrete and personalised story” explains the interior designer.

Redesigned main floor

The main floor integrates the outdoor garden with swimming pool, with a large open-plan living-dining room, to enjoy the smell of flowers and the freshness of the wet grass during relaxing moments and after-dinner meals.

The entrance to the dwelling, with an austere chromatic palette in neutral and warm tones inspired in natural materials, places us in front of the living-dining room, the kitchen, which the interior designer has integrated in an isolated manner with a beautiful glazed enclosure, and the circular staircase with a steel body and finished in microcement, the protagonist and central axis of the dwelling, which facilitates the new layout with a sculptural design that takes advantage of the natural light projected from the skylight. The entire floor shares the same flooring and the use of oak wood in volumes and partitions.

Entrance hall. Paint with Ecoclay clay mortar finish. Wall cladding from the Moribana collection. de Glamora. Stone-effect mosaic cladding on the column, cement-effect flooring on the ground floor and grey stone-effect tiling around the staircase. Marazzi. Ceramic vase in the hallway furniture of La Navà. Staircase. Staircase cladding and flooring tiles by Marazzi. Natural linen wall covering from the Moribana collection by Glamora.

Kitchen integrated in the main space

The interior designer designed the first floor to be open-plan, with the kitchen, which enjoys natural light, integrated by means of a glass partition with a double hinged door in lacquered metal to match the oak, which brings light into the entrance, but gives the floor plan centre stage to the living/dining room.

The parallel kitchen design optimises space and generates a very comfortable work circuit, with a floor-to-ceiling front for storage and appliances and another with the water and cooking areas. The worktop and the shelving in natural Blue Roma stone from Brazil, combined with the oak of the cabinets, stand out. “As the first space visible from the entrance, we had to integrate the kitchen furniture into the new architectural concept of the house“, explains María Acha.

Oak wood kitchen furniture designed by María Acha and made to measure by Ebanistería Rua Alberdi. 100% natural clay mortar walls from Ecoclay. Marazzi flooring. Appliqués of Il Fanale. Kitchen handles made of Viefe. Botijos and ceramic vase of La Navà. Vegetable arrangements of Sakura Atelier.

Dining room open to the garden

The dining room, open to the outside through sliding doors, displays a very attractive design with a neutral background and furniture of organic shapes in which the curved sofa and armchair by Moroso stand out, following a current trend that breaks the austere linearity of the Nordic style, embracing the softness and comfort of the enveloping shapes, the table with cement finish by Zanotta and the bentwood chairs by Miniforms.

Living room. Sofa, armchair, pouffe and side table with white tabletop of Moroso. Coffee table of Sancal. Side table blown glass of Miniforms. Carpet of Kuatro Carpets. 100% natural clay mortar walls by Ecoclay. Ceramic lamp, vase and candlesticks by La Navà. Paintings on the wall of the sofa by Marta Besada. Damero cushion in caldera colour and Acuarela printed cushions of Pepe Peñalver. Dining room. Dining table of Zanotta. Miniforms chairs. Ceiling lamps by Foscarini. Painting by Marta Besada. Handmade ceramic pieces by Varro.

The toilet located at the entrance offers a very original design that makes it a surprising poetic space. Smooth walls of 100% natural clay mortar by Ecoclay. Natural stone mosaic in the washbasin area from Bilazu. Floor of Marazzi. Taps and fittings Sanycess. Washbasin Bjhon of cement from Agape.

Main suite

The master suite, enlarged and modified in layout, now includes a bedroom, dressing room, workspace and bathroom with materials that follow the aesthetics of the project, in warm, neutral colours and the range of earth tones. A highlight is the organic linen and viscose wall covering with a wildflower print by Glamora on the bedroom wall.

Bedroom. Bed with headboard, bedside table and bench in Praddy. Table lamp made of Olucce. Pumpkin-coloured cushions and plaid from Alhambra. Ceramic vase and candlesticks by La Navà. Floral arrangement by Sakura Atelier. Temps Perdu’ natural linen upholstery from the Komorebi collection in GlamPure by Glamora. Velvet pouf, desk chair and desk by Praddy. Wall lamp by Olucce. Ceramic vases by La Navà. Bathroom. Washbasin unit and mirror designed by María Acha. Cladding and countertop by Marazzi. Taps by Sanycess. Vase and ceramic pieces by La Navà. Floral arrangement by Sakura Atelier. Towels from Zara Home.

Downstairs, a socialising space for family and friends

On the lower floor, designed with a more social focus, are located the two guest suites, the gym, an open area with lounge, bar and two terraces. In the day area with a large lounge and various social areas for family and friends, different chromatic ranges have been used from the main floor, with colours and textures inspired by nature, but with a more playful approach. “We had long been interested in exploring the possibility of wallpapering the ceilings, but we had to find the perfect room for it. We soon realised that the large living room on the ground floor was the ideal space for it“, explains María Acha.

Zone by day. Preserved tree by Elorza. White floor lamps by Foscarini. Ceramic pieces on the bar by La Navà. Mimas wall and ceiling cladding by Glamora. Terra collection flooring by La Faenza. Sofas of Sancal. Armchair of Moooi. Large coffee table Kettal. Side tables by San Giacomo. Rug by Kuatro Carpets. Damero cushions by Pepe Peñalver. Ceramic pieces by Varro.

Terrace. Outdoor furniture and table lamps from the Fade collection by Plust. Linen cushions by Lizzo. Fruit bowl by Zara Home.

Project: Casa Sur.
Interior design: María Acha.
Location: Andalucía.
Finished: 2024.
Surface: 285 m² on two floors (135 m²+150 m²).
Styling: Cristina Rodríguez-Goitia.
Partners: Arquitecto Alesander Olasagasti e Ingeniero Diego Rey.
Photography: Amador Toril.

María Acha

María Acha is an interior designer with more than 15 years of experience in the integral design of spaces. Her work ranges from the conception of the space and project management to the design of bespoke furniture as well as the choice of finishes and accessories.

She specialises in carrying out comprehensive projects in which she can develop her own language tailored to each space and client. To achieve this, she selects and studies each project in depth to create a unique expressive style.

Her rich mix of influences results in spaces that are vibrant at times, calm at others, but always harmonious and elegant. Maria is passionate about her design work and is aware of the enormous impact that the space we inhabit has on our lives.

Source: María Acha y Comunikate MASmedia.

Project by María Acha