El Unico: a spectacular villa in Málaga

When husband-and-wife team Steven Leyzac and Stephani Zambrano set about designing and building a house high in the hills of the ultra-exclusive La Zagaleta estate in Benahavís, close to Marbella, their ambition was to “do something remarkable”. They wanted to break away from the “white box” look typical of the area’s contemporary architecture, and this they have achieved – in spectacular style.

El Unico (“The One”) has 2,800 square metres of built living space over four magnificent floors. The turnkey villa is beautifully curved and its walls, both solid and glass, track the sweeping panorama that unfolds before it – wooded slopes, undulating countryside and the sparkling sea. “We wanted to do something curved to take in the mountain and sea views – the entire landscape,” says Zambrano, who heads the design and construction firm Lavele, which, along with Leyzac’s KARTELLè Corporation, has created stunning properties around the world. “When you walk through the house, the glass windows allow you to see from one corner to the other.”

From the “floating” Jacuzzi on the elegant rooftop to the glistening spa with hillside views, and the eight-car glass-fronted garage, El Unico offers ground-breaking design, eye-catching materials, a wealth of amenities and an incredible level of luxury. 

“It’s like living in a six-star hotel,” says Leyzac. “Literally, you do not want to leave.” If you were to venture out, the house is a short distance from Marbella’s chic boutiques and fine-dining restaurants, as well as the superyacht marina at Puerto Banús and the polo fields of Sotogrande.

In the expansive forecourt of this award-winning property stands a 900-year-old olive tree, the focal point of a circular water feature. Beyond is the front door – six metres in height and a fitting introduction to the villa’s super-sized scale. As you walk across the marble floor of the double-height living room, with its spectacular suspended fireplace of book-matched marble and bespoke curved sofas, your eye is drawn to the views through the seven-metre-high windows. 

The spacious kitchen features two enormous islands and, hidden behind sliding panels, a second professional space for use by the chef when entertaining. Outside, there is a 22-metre infinity pool on one section of the vast terrace. At night, three kilometres of LED lights bring the villa and gardens to life.

The lower ground floor of El Unico, which overlooks wooded hills, is dedicated to entertainment and includes a spa with a heated indoor pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, Turkish baths, changing rooms and private massage space.

The design is breathtaking. “I took my inspiration from the caves in South America, where I am from, and asked a sculptor to create a wall resembling rocks,” says Zambrano. By contrast, the floor – black marble with white veining – and the statement chandeliers make the room sparkle, creating a mood that’s more luxury hotel than subterranean cavern. On the same floor, there’s also a spacious cinema room with a bar, a bowling alley, an indoor half-basketball court and a children’s playroom that leads out to the garden. One level down again is a state-of-the-art gym with 15 exercise machines.

The details are no less spectacular on the first floor, which houses five of the villa’s nine bedroom suites. “For me, the main bedroom is one of the most important spaces,” says Leyzac. “It has to make you feel like you’ve arrived.” El Unico’s certainly does – 150 square metres in size, with views of both mountains and sea, it has a glorious bathroom, magnificent his-and-hers dressing rooms and a private terrace. On the other side of the villa, connected by a bridge with a view, are the children’s rooms, each with an ensuite bathroom and dressing room. 

El Unico is equipped with the latest in green technology, including a photovoltaic solar energy plant and tulip-shaped wind turbines. The house is also highly insulated, with a low-emission coating on the glass that draws in the sun’s rays in winter and refracts them in summer.

All this means that the property is intended to be self-sufficient in energy, with little need to draw from the grid if the owners are in residence all year round.

When designing the villa, Zambrano and Leyzac aimed to create a home with wide appeal – while it may be grand, El Unico is also a wonderfully relaxing and comfortable space. “The flow of the house makes it feel very liveable,” says Zambrano. “Each room easily connects with another.”

“If you want to party, though,” adds Leyzac, “there are four bars, including a swim-up one in the pool. And if you’re a family with young children, there’s everything you need. It really is a unique home.”