An unusual open-plan apartment in South Residences, El Higueron, is a reminder that no property layout suits everybody and that our needs and preferences can change over time.
One man's meat is another man's poison
During my working life in the North-West of England, the North London area, and here on the Costa del Sol, I must have been involved in the sale of several thousand properties, and I have to admit that probably fewer than 10% of them were homes that I would have considered buying for myself!
In some cases, the style or layout would not have suited me. In others, the property may simply have been outside my budget. I'm not criticising the 90% that I wouldn't have bought. They were bought by people whose circumstances, priorities and tastes were different to mine. I think this is one of the most important things that we need to understand about property. There is no single type of home that is right for everybody.
An estate agent has to look beyond personal taste
As estate agents, our job is not to decide whether we would buy a particular property. It is to understand whether or not it could be right for the person who is standing beside us. We all have our own ideas about how a home should look and how its rooms should be arranged. However, those ideas are influenced by how we live, the people we live with and the stage of life we've reached.
A family with children may want clearly separated bedrooms and living areas. A couple working from home may need two independent workspaces. Someone living alone may prefer fewer divisions and a greater feeling of light and space. None of those choices is inherently right or wrong.
Could an open-plan bedroom work?
A two-bedroom apartment currently for sale in South Residences, El Higuerón provides an interesting example. This home has been designed with a sliding wall between the sitting room and the principal bedroom. When the wall is open, the two areas become visually connected, creating a greater feeling of space and allowing the living area to benefit from the light and outlook across the full width of the apartment. When privacy is needed, the wall can be closed and the principal bedroom becomes separate again.
A few years ago, I would probably not have considered an arrangement like this for myself. Today, I can understand its appeal rather better. I am at home on my own for much of the time. In those circumstances, having the bedroom open to the living area would not particularly concern me. I could enjoy the additional feeling of space and close the wall whenever visitors were staying.
Someone else might dislike the idea completely. A couple with different routines or a buyer who prefers traditionally separated rooms might immediately decide that it would not work for them. Both reactions are perfectly reasonable.
Our requirements can change
What makes this particularly interesting is that our own ideas can change over time. A layout that we would once have rejected may start to make sense as time goes by. Equally, a property that worked perfectly well when we had a young family may no longer suit us when the children have left home. This is why it is important to think carefully about how you genuinely live, rather than relying entirely on a fixed list of conventional requirements.
For example, do you regularly use a separate dining room, or does it stand empty for most of the year? Do you need several bedrooms, or would you prefer fewer rooms with more generous living space? Would an open-plan arrangement give you greater flexibility, or would the lack of separation become irritating? The answers will be different for every buyer.
The South Residences apartment
The apartment itself offers two bedrooms and modern open-concept accommodation with an island kitchen, utility area and a large, full-width terrace. The terrace provides ample space for relaxing, dining and entertaining, with open southerly views towards the sea.
The principal bedroom has fitted wardrobes, an en suite bathroom and direct access to the terrace. There is also a second bedroom with fitted wardrobes and an adjacent bathroom.
South Residences is a gated community with:
- landscaped gardens
- swimming pools
- barbecue areas
- an outdoor sauna
- a co-working space
- a community cinema area
- a dog park
The apartment comes fully furnished and has two underground parking spaces together with a storage room. It is also just a short way down to the beach at Playa de Carvajal and the railway station, with shops, restaurants and other amenities in the surrounding area.
It is a very individual apartment with some unusual design features. Those features will not appeal to everybody, but they do not need to. A property only needs to make sense to the person who is going to live in it, and I can easily see a buyer falling in love with this layout and the general design style.
After nearly 50 years in estate agency, I've learned that personal taste must never get in the way of understanding what another person wants. We can point out practical considerations. We can discuss how a layout may work in everyday life and help buyers think through the advantages and the compromises. What we should never do is assume that our preferences are more important than theirs.
When we are showing you properties, we are not trying to show you the ones that we would buy. We are trying to find the one that works for you and best suits your requirements.
Our job is to help and advise you when buying your Costa del Sol property. If you are looking for Fuengirola property and are not sure where to start, please don't hesitate to start by asking us. Call us on (0034) 952 90 52 00, WhatsApp us, or email info@michael-moon.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
