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A HALF EGGSHELL in a pine forest, that’s what this spectacular house looks like from afar. Nestled in a Mediterranean pine forest in Lledó, Spain, El Caracol sits at the meeting point of two rivers. Oddly one river you’ll find refreshingly cool, perfect for a high summer dip, whilst the other river is warm enough for children to play in the shallows.
 Enter through a timber door that stands under a bow-shaped arc and you are inside a domed space with a design so unique that it really makes you feel like you’re living outside. The face of the house is all windows which lean outwards at an angle, giving the interiors a strong connection with the outdoors. This rustic-meets-industrial home has V-shaped steel supports that demarcate the different living zones. This means the kitchen ‘bench’ seems as if it's floating in the middle of the space and the dining area is completely connected to the outside. To enhance the feeling of outdoor living, the property has a shaded outdoor dining terrace and BBQ area, a hammock, and a small infinity pool that looks out to the forest and mountains beyond. On the upper level are three bedrooms. The master bedroom has a convex wall at the back of the bed and vast windows with views of the forest outside. 
Outside there’s a patero and inbuilt BBQ and a veggie garden (pick the fresh tomatoes for your evening salad) Along the riverbanks you’ll find fig trees, dragonflies, frogs and you might even spot a shy otter. Nearby is Balneario de Font Calda, a limestone gorge with deep natural swimming pools and in the village of Lledò there’s wine tasting tasting at Bodegas Crial.
Lisa Edwards 4/8/17
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