Duplex, Los Monteros.
Our clients on this project were based abroad and had just bought a new build duplex. Like a lot of new builds, it was a blank canvas, smart and well built, but missing any real warmth or character. They wanted a design that could give it some life and turn it into somewhere that actually felt like home.
They wanted a warm Mediterranean feel throughout, built around a neutral base with plenty of natural texture, think wood, stone and linen. On top of that, the basement level needed a rethink. As it stood, it wasn't doing much for how they actually wanted to live, so they asked us to fit in an extra bedroom and a games room, ideally without either space feeling like an afterthought stuck below ground.
New builds can often feel a little cold and characterless straight out of the box, and basements bring their own problem on top of that. Guests tend to notice when they've been sent downstairs, and a games room in particular can easily end up feeling like a leftover space rather than somewhere anyone wants to spend time.
The design brought in more oak throughout the apartment, warming up some of the colder rooms and tying the whole space together. Downstairs, careful material choices and lighting meant the new bedroom and games room felt just as considered as the rest of the home, rather than an obvious basement conversion.
Outside, the design made the most of the large terrace, with a built-in barbecue area and a bespoke bar, giving them a proper space for hosting and outdoor living that matched the warmth created inside.
The duplex now feels like a genuine Mediterranean home rather than a new build shell, warm, textured and just as easy to entertain in downstairs or out on the terrace as it is upstairs.
Thinking about bringing warmth and character to a new build home?
