The six characteristics that make our design into a luxury villa.

At a time when the luxury for many is having access to a home that they own, some privileged people can find and buy high-end homes. But, what characteristics must they collect to have this qualifier?

The great Groucho Marx said that "happiness is made of small things: a small yacht, a small mansion, a small fortune ...". Joking apart, we don’t consider villas with 15 rooms and thousands of square meters of land or with an exorbitant price to be necessarily luxury.

For Pacheco & Asociados Architects we describe a luxury villa that the satisfy all the need of our clients. Obviously, from a certain level of life, those needs may be similar, but they do not have to coincide. Moreover, luxury is not the same for everyone, but we do feel luxury when the house covers all the needs and expectation that each of our clients has.

Luxury is not only linked to price but to those elements that make that property unique compared to the vast majority of the housing stock in the same area.

A luxury home is characterized by factors that make it special; a great location, good views, light, great design, a good selection of furniture, architectural elements, security, comfort elements such as a swimming pool and a good soft landscape design.

It has also had an evolution. The concept of luxury has gone from being something considered excessively expensive and exclusive for millionaires to being a more tangible expectation. Luxuries that previously seemed inaccessible to us, now we see them as something more standardised as it could be a good urbanization with a gym, Jacuzzi, etc.

For this reason, we believe that ostentation has given way to architecture with minimalist lines such as we design. We believe that real luxury in villa design could be defined as those design elements and the selection of good materials that make up a true home for the owner.

 

For his part, we defend that the term "luxury villas" has spread so much in recent years that its meaning has lost its original and exclusive essence, to give way to concepts in which extravagance and excess often take centre stage.

This deviation has led us to develop a short procedure with the essential requirements that a home must have to be considered exclusive or high-end.

 

A privileged location.

The first thing a luxury home must fulfil is to have a privileged location, this is for us perhaps one of the main requirements. For some it may be in the middle of the city and for others, in a remote place in the middle of the countryside.

The location is essential, because, even if a large investment is made in the reform of a property with top quality materials, if it is not located in a neighbourhood considered luxury, it will never be considered a high-end home.

Location is the most important factor that defines a luxury home. These types of properties can be designed in the most premium areas both in city centres and in the most exclusive urbanizations that have 24-hour security.

High-quality building materials.

Another of the most important aspects are the finishes of the property, the use of selected woods, good quality ceramics and marble, designer toilets and kitchens, high-end appliances and technology to make the home comfortable and equipped with all services. But expensive materials by themselves do not make a great design but the selection and combination of all the materials, the care with which the materials have been combined to achieve an original, welcoming, sober and impressive environment.

A luxury property must be built with high-quality materials and finishes to make the home a unique, comfortable residence, equipped with all services.

In this sense, tastes vary according to the type of client, since Russian or Chinese customers do not look for the same thing as Central European or American clients. It is closely related to the buyer's culture, for example, gold and marble are more liked by Russian, Chinese and Middle Eastern buyers, while high ceilings with coffered ceilings and mosaics are more valued by the Central European customer.

 

Privacy.

It is one of the characteristics most demanded by buyers. A house in a residential area, surrounded by other houses, must meet some characteristics that provide privacy to the owners with respect to their neighbours.

If it is a high-end apartment located in the heart of the city, it must also meet this requirement by having, for example, independent access to the home from the rest of the tenants in the building.

 

Available services.

Whether it is a house located in a residential area or if we are talking about an apartment, both must have exclusive characteristics in terms of services. In the case of flats, the 24-hour doorman is essential. Other additional services are usually a private gym, swimming pool, large common areas ... In the case of homes in residential neighbourhoods, they must represent an added value for the neighbourhood community.For his part, we defend that the term "luxury villas" has spread so much in recent years that its meaning has lost its original and exclusive essence, to give way to concepts in which extravagance and excess often take centre stage.

This deviation has led us to develop a short procedure with the essential requirements that a home must have to be considered exclusive or high-end.

 

 

 

A privileged location.

The first thing a luxury home must fulfil is to have a privileged location, this is for us perhaps one of the main requirements. For some it may be in the middle of the city and for others, in a remote place in the middle of the countryside.

The location is essential, because, even if a large investment is made in the reform of a property with top quality materials, if it is not located in a neighbourhood considered luxury, it will never be considered a high-end home.

Location is the most important factor that defines a luxury home. These types of properties can be designed in the most premium areas both in city centres and in the most exclusive urbanizations that have 24-hour security.

 

High-quality building materials.

Another of the most important aspects are the finishes of the property, the use of selected woods, good quality ceramics and marble, designer toilets and kitchens, high-end appliances and technology to make the home comfortable and equipped with all services. But expensive materials by themselves do not make a great design but the selection and combination of all the materials, the care with which the materials have been combined to achieve an original, welcoming, sober and impressive environment.

A luxury property must be built with high-quality materials and finishes to make the home a unique, comfortable residence, equipped with all services.

In this sense, tastes vary according to the type of client, since Russian or Chinese customers do not look for the same thing as Central European or American clients. It is closely related to the buyer's culture, for example, gold and marble are more liked by Russian, Chinese and Middle Eastern buyers, while high ceilings with coffered ceilings and mosaics are more valued by the Central European customer.

 

 

The interior layout.

The size does not matter when it comes to luxury, although it is usually associated with palaces and homes of thousands of square meters, the truth is that we have also design small high-end apartments that are spectacular.

Ideally each bedroom must be equipped with its own independent bathroom and, in the case of the main room, a dressing room and an in-suite bathroom are distributed in the same space. In addition, as their owners usually have service personnel, they also need a room with an office.

 

The price marks the quality.

One million euros is the psychological barrier that marks the starting price for a luxury home. More than the final price of the home, you have to assess the price per square meter, which usually varies depending on the location of the property. In this sense, in cities such as Madrid or Barcelona the price for the square meter is higher than in other Spanish cities or in coastal destinations.

In the case of super-luxury, you have to start talking from five million euros. Starting at 4,000 euros per square meter and 750,000 euros is usually the minimum price, but these values are not absolute, but what defines luxury is the area and the building. However, in the valuation of luxury the quality of the home influences more than the price. It can be a 50 square meter apartment with a single room and have a price of 400,000 euros because it includes concierge service.