Iconic Architecture: The Mediterranean Style.
19.03.2025There are plenty of properties around the world that can awaken Mediterranean dreams. The online magazine Luxury Defined from Christie’s International Real Estate recently presented a few highlights from their range that are actually on the market if you would like to make your dreams come true. The magazine defined the mediterranean style as follows: “All it took was a few thousand years of living for us humans to notice how certain structural designs made sense for a warm, sunny climate: Tile roofs shed the rain. Thick stucco walls kept out the heat. Big, wide windows let in light, even on cloudy days, and admitted breezes in sultry weather.”
Luxury Defined celebrates the order of Mediterranean architecture, a state of mind regardless of locale, an idea about life and how it should be lived and lived well. Tick off the boxes: Stucco, tile, symmetrical facades, arched doors, loggias, wrought-iron balustrades, all of it architecture that creates a lifestyle. Elemental. Organic to site and landscape, to water, earth, light, and air.
Here, then, are five wonderful exemplars of that style, in places both near and far from vine-cloaked, sun-soaked land- and seascapes of the Mediterranean.
Provençal-style Manor in Mougins, Côte d’Azur, France
This peaceful estate just outside the village of Mandelieu-la-Napoule has a private hilltop setting overlooking the Bay of Cannes. The past and the present converge at this grand Provençal manor set within glorious terraced gardens looking out across the Bay of Cannes. The striking white facade encloses equally bright, spacious living spaces spanning 4,844 square feet. The main floor comprises living and dining rooms, a country kitchen, and a library.
San Vincente in Santa Monia, California, USA
This lovely California Spanish home offers cool, comfortable living space from a hillside perch above the Riviera Country Club in Santa Monica. Set on a gated near-acre lot overlooking the links of Santa Monica’s Riviera Country Club, this timeless Mediterranean Revival villa was built in 1926 by influential Santa Monica architect John Byers, a lifelong devotee of California Spanish style. That architectural heritage, updated for 21st century living, inspired a two-story home with tile roofs, white stucco walls, and spacious interiors, offering eight bedrooms and six-and-bathrooms.
Harbor-view Villa in Port d’Antratx, Mallorca, Spain
This rambling, multi-level villa on Mallorca – the jewel of the Balearic Islands – has panoramic views of Port d’Andratx and the beautiful horseshoe bay of Cala Llamp. This palatial villa is built into “the loveliest harbor in the Mediterranean”: Port d’Andratx, about 30 minutes from Mallorca’s capital, Palma. The traditional terracotta-hued facade encloses light-filled interior spaces oriented toward the harbor.
Grand Villa in Morcote, Lugano, Switzerland
An elegant villa with sunset views of Lake Lugano awaits in the lovely Swiss village of Morcote. It resides in a picture-postcard environ, with a parklike setting overlooking Lake Lugano. Traditional tile roofs, cocoa-toned stucco, and rambling arched verandas enfold the 9,117-square-foot residence. Its grandly proportioned reception rooms have a view of the lake or the gardens, landscaped with a variety of Mediterranean flowers and trees. There are eight bedrooms and seven bathrooms.
S’Incantu Estate in Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, Italy
S’Incantu is an idyllic Gallurese-style villa at one with the rugged beauty of Italy’s Emerald Coast. The villa was designed by celebrated French-born architect Savin Couëlle, with granite walls under a tiled terracotta roof, in harmony with the surrounding landscape. The interiors blend the old with the new. The six bedrooms all have luxurious en suite bathrooms. The living room is designed for comfort and adjoins a roomy eat-in kitchen and alfresco dining space.
Explore more details about these estates and find more luxury homes with iconic architecture here.