CREATIVE DESIGN
Instead of an open and linear garden, La Menara proposed a compartmentalized space that gradually reveals itself as the visitor moves through it.
RESULT
The key to Villa Maya lies in its capacity for discovery. The design plays with scale, perspective, and vegetation to create the sense that the garden expands beyond its actual limits.
Villa Maya is, in essence, a demonstration that landscaping can be rich in detail and content, even in small spaces. A compartmentalized, functional, and poetic garden that is rediscovered with each step. A refuge where intimate scale becomes a virtue, and where design finds its strength in subtlety.
Medium-sized plants, contrasting textures, and shadows cast on white walls create an intimate, almost secret landscape that gradually reveals itself.
Water appears as a guiding and emotional element. A linear sheet accompanies the main path, reflecting light and bringing freshness to the environment.
The choice of light Mediterranean and tropical species —young palm trees, strelitzias, lavenders, jasmines— balances structure and movement, adding dynamism to a garden where every corner seems to have its own life.
The result is a domestic yet sophisticated space: a garden that does not seek to impose itself, but to accompany the rhythm of the house and offer different ways of inhabiting the outdoors.
Villa Maya demonstrates that landscaping does not depend on scale, but on intention. An example of garden design in Marbella that combines spatial sensitivity, visual richness, and contemporary functionality.
On a plot of modest dimensions, Villa Maya demonstrates that scale does not limit the depth of design. This project by La Menara becomes an example of how a small garden can condense great landscape richness without losing functionality or coherence. Conceived as a succession of spaces that are gradually revealed, the garden presents itself as a sensory journey that invites curiosity and contemplation.
From the main entrance, the visitor perceives the harmony between architecture and vegetation. The garden layout articulates the different levels of the terrain with precision, generating interconnected but clearly defined spaces. Each area —a terrace, a patio, a green corridor— has a specific function and atmosphere, yet all are integrated within a single visual narrative.
MATERIALS
The materiality of Villa Maya responds to its dual character: compact yet expressive. Noble and sober materials are used to visually expand the space and reinforce its continuity with the architecture. Natural stone pavements in light tones define the paths and terraces, providing brightness and freshness. Between them, strips of gravel and planted areas allow the ground to breathe and soften transitions between built and natural elements.
The retaining walls act as canvases on which vegetal shadows are projected. In some points, integrated planters soften their verticality and add texture. Horizontal lines predominate, enhancing the sense of serenity and spaciousness despite the limited dimensions of the space.
The presence of water —in sheets and fountains— introduces reflections and movement, making the garden appear deeper. Its discreet and constant sound creates an acoustic backdrop that isolates the space from its urban surroundings and enhances intimacy.
Nighttime lighting, warm and precise, transforms the garden into a contained stage. Lights recessed in the pavement and hidden spotlights among the vegetation highlight volumes and define subtle routes. This lighting work turns the space into a changing landscape that retains its charm both day and night.
Sustainable landscaping systems —drip irrigation, native vegetation, natural drainage— allow for minimal maintenance without compromising the freshness of the ensemble. In Villa Maya, each material was chosen not only for its beauty but for its ability to balance form and function, aesthetics and efficiency.
CREATIVE DESIGN
The creative design of Villa Maya is based on the idea of progressive discovery. Instead of an open and linear garden, La Menara proposed a compartmentalized space that gradually reveals itself as the visitor moves through it. This approach turns the garden into an intimate and changing experience, where each area has its own identity and rhythm.
The layout consists of intersecting visual axes that organize the main paths and define usage areas —rest, contemplation, shade, or transit— without the need for physical boundaries. Vegetation acts as a natural boundary, creating smooth transitions between spaces. This compartmentalized structure generates dynamism, fostering a sense of journey and surprise: the garden is not seen all at once but discovered.
The La Menara landscaping team balanced abundant vegetation with structural clarity. Species are grouped by texture and density: soft grasses that move with the air, aromatic shrubs that add color, sculptural specimens that mark focal points. Vegetation is not used as a decorative background but as an architectural material that shapes and gives depth to the space.
Water reinforces the garden’s narrative. It not only brings freshness but organizes the spatial sequence: accompanying, reflecting, guiding. At meeting points, the presence of water combines with stone and wood surfaces that invite pauses. These resting spaces are fundamental in the design: they offer visual refuge and balance against the dynamism of the ensemble.
Color and texture are handled subtly. Predominantly silver-greens, soft grays, and bright whites are punctuated by occasional blooms of lavender or bougainvillea. The color palette reinforces the Mediterranean character of the ensemble, while visual order maintains La Menara’s signature contemporary elegance.
