Minimalist luxury in the rugged Sierra Nevada, with panoramic views to the Mediterranean... The Glass House began life long ago as a simple one-room ‘nave de aperos’ – an agricultural building used by local shepherds to sleep in while their flocks of goats grazed the meadows on the mountainside. We took it on in 2006, and gradually extended and transformed it into what you see today – a modern villa in a minimalist style with 3 ensuite bedrooms and a huge 12m swimming pool. We put in as much glass as possible – 15m of sliding doors on the south and west facades, leading onto expansive open sun terraces so that the amazing views to the Sierra de Lugar and Mediterranean can be enjoyed from inside as well as outside the house. In fact, every design decision was informed by the views and maintaining a sense of uncluttered space: the terrace handrail is frameless tempered glass; almost everything is white or muted woods and greys – polished cement on the floors and walls, the terraces, the furnishings… even the pool is raised a few feet above ground level at one end to make sure there are as few visual interruptions as possible. Cooler evenings are dealt with by under-floor heating – no distracting radiators! “Curves don’t exist” – our mantra to the builders as the project progressed: clean, straight white lines everywhere, punctuated with the vertical simplicity of cypress trees, framing the strong diagonals of the Sierra Nevada as it rises dramatically on all sides of the house. The Glass House is just 10 minutes’ drive from both Orgiva and the famous villages of the Poqueira Valley – Pampaneira, Bubion and (our favourite) Capileira. The GR7 walking route is just 100m behind the house, so an easy 15 minute stroll will take you to Soportujar for a cold beer and tapas. Come and enjoy!