A childhood growing up in Spain led architect Lewin Wertheimer to fulfilling a lifelong dream of designing and building a home in Andalucía.
Actually, the Venice, Calif.-based architect built three homes there: one for his mother, and two townhomes, mirror images of each other, as investment rentals.
They’re located near the town of Fuente de Piedra, an ancient village built atop Moorish ruins. At the center of town, a 14th-century fountain flows. The village is about 45 minutes from the beaches of the Costa del Sol.
Each 1,500 square-foot townhome is designed in a contemporary, abstracted Andalucian style, with volume play, courtyard and whitewashed, stepped walls. “They’re inspired by the hill towns,” Wertheimer said. “We used the same materials, like terra cotta throughout, a tiled roof, with glass mosaic tiles for the baths and green tile for the pool.”
Nearby, a substantial lagoon can be seen in the distance. It’s filled with krill, the tiny, shrimp-like crustaceans that form the basis for an ecosystem that’s evolved into one of the largest breeding grounds for pink flamingos in Europe. Thus the name for the two townhomes: Dos Flamingos.
Each home is snugged into a tight, 20-foot by 60-foot long lot, sited at the edge of Fuente de Piedra. The result is that each is surrounded on three sides by olive groves, with the town on the fourth. “Given the narrow, small lot, we wanted to maximize the space, as well as create an affordable solution with traditional materials,” he said. “We wanted a clean, rustic, contemporary style.”
Each townhome rents during the low season at about 400 Euros a week, and in high season, at 800 Euros.
For more information, go to http://www.dosflamingos.com/Dos_Flamingos/Welcome.html
[slideshow id=462]
