New-build house in Alella

The house is laid out over two storeys of clean lines, clad in large pale panels that reflect the daylight and keep the home cool in summer. On the ground floor, floor-to-ceiling windows open fully onto the terrace and the garden, so the living room and the outdoors work as a single space. Upstairs, private terraces look out over the views.

Dark window frames draw the openings on the white façade and add an elegant counterpoint. Light curtains at every window filter the sun, give privacy without closing the house off and soften the transition between inside and out.

The turquoise pool, with wide entry steps, sits in front of the main façade, framed by pale stone paving that runs all the way to the porch with no change in level. The same material, warm underfoot and non-slip, joins pool, terrace and porch into one continuous surface.

Around it, white beanbags and sun loungers invite you to stay in the sun, and an olive tree by the water adds shade and Mediterranean character. The outdoor pieces, in natural tones and fibres, echo the pale palette of the architecture so that nothing distracts from the water and the greenery.

Under the pergola, the porch brings together two settings: an outdoor dining area with a wooden table for the whole family, and a living area with light-toned sofas, cushions and a rug, sheltered from the sun and open to the garden. It is where breakfast is served, where work gets done on the laptop and where summer dinners stretch late into the night.

The pergola regulates light and shade according to the time of day and the season, so the porch is used for much of the year. Rope armchairs, low tables and outdoor lamps complete a room with as much personality as the living room inside.

The garden wraps all the way around the house and is designed to be enjoyed in every corner. Beds of grasses, flowers and low-maintenance Mediterranean plants line the paths, with aloes and succulents on a bark mulch that holds moisture and reduces watering.

Olive trees, palms and a large sculptural rock act as focal points and give scale to the lawn. At the far end, a seating area with armchairs under the palms offers a quiet corner away from the pool, for reading or a coffee in the shade. Hedges along the boundaries ensure privacy without giving up colour.

The entrance, a pale stone path between the lawn and the trees, hints at what lies within: order, light and a constant connection with the outdoors. Every space has been thought through so the family can enjoy the house in any season, day to day and when friends come over.

The result is a bright, serene house in which architecture, interior design and garden speak the same language: that of a comfortable life, outdoors and in touch with the landscape of the Maresme. If you are planning to build or renovate a house in Alella or anywhere in the Maresme, tell us about your project.