An Unusually Mesmerizing Home Design Has a Very Unique Interior

Unique Cliffside Home Design

This home looks very different and very intriguing, and that's not just because it's built right on the side of a cliff above the Mediterranean sea. This is a home that's been talked about a lot and not just by architects and designers, but by anyone who sees it. This home was designed from start to finish by GilBartolomé, an architecture firm in Madrid, Spain. For starters, it has an appearance unlike any other home in the world, so it's very unique. With its distinct curves and organic shapes, it looks like something out of a science fiction movie or a Dr. Suess book. They also used some very interesting materials which make the home even more intriguing making people do a second take of it every time.

Architectural Visionaries Behind the Project

The home is called Casa del Acantilado which means house on a cliff, and it was designed by Pablo Gil and Jaime Bartolomé who founded their Madrid studio, GilBartolomé, in 2007. They both went to school at Bartlett where students are encouraged to think outside of the box and come up with their own personal design style. Both of the architects believe that buildings and design can be like art or music, evoking emotion and inspiration in a similar way. This design definitely does that and then some.

Client's Vision and Site Challenges

The clients the home was designed for are a young couple with one child. They owned a plot of land on a steep hillside in Granada which was very difficult to design for, but it also had incredible views of the Mediterranean. They got 4 different architectural studios to pitch them ideas, but when they saw GilBartolomé's design, they fell for it pretty much instantly. What the design duo created was incredible, to say the least. The result was a two-storey home with so much character and style. Outside, you notice the curves and arches that look like the waves in the sea, with the interesting shingles on the roof that look like the ripples in the water. There are lots of windows and a view of the pool and patio on the front of the house which looks like the best place to enjoy a relaxing afternoon in the hot sun. The roof is made of a material that is like a second skin made from a formwork system and deformable metal mesh. Not only did this option cost a lot less than any of the conventional options like timber or steel, it made for a wonderfully eye-catching feature. The metal meshwork is created out of thousands of handmade zinc scales that flip up in the corner to reflect the light of the sun making them even more like water, but they also look like a dragon's skin too.

Interior Design and Functionality

The interior is 2,583 square feet with layers on the main level to create an interesting floor plan. You can't have an exterior like this house has without having a wonderful exterior to match, so we would expect no less. There is the kitchen and a large living room that opens to the terrace with a pool. On the next floor up there are three bedrooms, and each of them has a balcony overlooking the sea. A movable wall opens up two bedrooms to become one, and there is also an ensuite bathroom. The glass balconies allow for unobstructed views of the ocean out in front of the house while still providing safety they need for a young child in the home. They've also incorporated some indoor planters that look like water or waves as well. The most impressive thing about this project besides the incredible design is that they were able to build it on a budget showing that you can have what you want without having to go overboard on spending.