105 Marbella Hills

The sophisticated and welltravelled owner of this property has seen it all, but he’s never seen anything quite like this before. This is a party house par excellence, created by UDesign with a sense of fun, exquisite taste and the best works of modern art in the world.

105 Marbella Hills is a luxury villa with a gallery vibe. Between a Rothko, a Warhol and a surrealist black & white wallpaper mural, we see fittingly creative Cloud lights by Apparatus Studio.

ords like unique, luxurious, chic and state-of-the-art, frequently misplaced and overused, are brought back to their true meaning in this extraordinary project. It is a luxury villa like no other. With its own DJ booth, a fully functional club bar, a huge outdoor kitchen, a 14 square metre exterior LED screen and an extensive 200 square metre pool area, the owner of this property can invite up to two hundred guests at a time for club standard entertainment from sunset to sunrise, all without leaving the house.

La Cabana Pool & Lounge, reads the neon sign on a marble panel, and the space really does deserve a name of its own. Centered around the focal point of the pool are various entertainment zones that allow for a smooth transition between stages and moods of any gathering. Right under the sign, a simple white table and a set of huge candles create an intimate ambience for a dinner party under the stars with friends, perfect to kick off an exclusive private party.

As the evening goes on, one might be tempted to move to the casual bar area, complete with its own TV screen and music – a perfect place to observe the team of caterers and waiters preparing the setting, while the DJ and dancers start off the real party. Or one could take a stroll around the house, where each area has an iPad you can use to play music from playlists custom-made by the best lounge and club DJs for different moods, times of the day and musical tastes. For those who want to see the action without leaving the party area, and perhaps talk business, the mother of all chill-out zones is nearby, overlooking the pool. The dark wood contrasts beautifully with the white stone and green living wall, creating a timeless look. The table is much more than it appears: a water feature where each steel sphere is an individual fountain, floating with LEDs surrounding them. The white sofas by UDesign and Farooo floor lamps by Marcel Wanders for Moooi add to the perfect symmetry.

An idyllic setting for an intimate dinner under the stars with friends, perfect to kick off an exclusive private party

This is certainly a house for entertaining, and as the party winds down and the music subsides, one could move to the sitting area. The transition is seamless – the white stone floor is a foundation of both the outside and the inside. Here the feeling of being in a modern art gallery intensifies: quirky colourful pieces of furniture by B&B Italia, Brabbu, La Chance and Edra are cleverly placed around the eye-catching Rothko painting. The 6-foot black & white photographic image on one side cleverly extends one’s perspective, while the wall of shelves filled with small sculptures on the other side makes one feel like getting up and having a closer look. Number 105 Marbella Hills encompasses both impressive architecture and attention to every single detail of interior design.

Now might be the time for the massive LED screen, which worked amazingly well as a dynamic backdrop for dancers during the party, to slide back into its frame and turn into a water feature, achieved at the push of a button on the domotics system. The view of the pool area from the inside is a truly cosmopolitan mix, reminiscent of Sunset Boulevard in LA, but with a Mediterranean touch by the presence of 80-year-old olive trees.

The DJ is the soul of any party, and fairness dictates that he or she gets their very own booth in this party house, where the works of art facing them are sure to inspire.

Dining room: The table is custom-made by UDesign from a 12cm-thick oak plank with a high-gloss finish, allowing the shape of the wood to remain visible. Chandeliers by Lasvit, bespoke ceiling detail by UDesign. The design of the geometric rug from the Rug Society was inspired by the ethnic and vibrant work of Jonathan Adler, who can always be relied on to bring a happy and chic look to any interior space.

Despite its contemporary look and focus on entertainment, the villa has spacious living and dining areas where the owners can spend time in a more private setting. The dining room is an amusing mixture of ultra-modern and antique. The classic chandeliers are paired with the lofty dining table but are at odds with the dramatic details in the ceiling. Meanwhile, the quirky rug from The Rug Society forms its own ensemble with purple avant-garde Ekstrem chairs, designed back in 1972 by Terje Ekström. The purple in the chairs continues into the dining area with its chill-out zone, full of vibrant colours and ethnic motifs. The stone wall with fireplace, complete with a round mirror that’s actually a television set, would make the perfect place for long winter afternoons of playing chess and smoking shisha. Paola Lenti sofas, decorative cushions and a carpet re-mastered from antique rugs recreate the ambience of a Moroccan living room, complete with a living ceiling and bamboo plants. A pool table and a hanging bubble chair complete this gorgeous space between the kitchen, dining and chill-out zone.

We’ve all been invited to “an evening at my place”, but few of us will have had the good fortune to experience an evening’s entertainment at a home like this. With furniture carefully selected or custom-made, the most up-to-date integrated technology, the original art works and the impressive landscaping, 105 Marbella Hills leaves one unsure of what to enjoy next, be it the beauty of the house itself or the pool and garden areas surrounding it. The answer has to be both, because in this property, the inside and out are one of a piece, a perfect blend of man-made and natural elements coming together to form a whole that is guaranteed to be memorable.

All architecture and interior design in this feature by UDesign. udesign.es