An infinity pool made of clay bricks: connecting the sea with home at Villa Ascher, Marbella

José Manuel Guerrero Cabrera is one of the founders of ee-estudio, an architecture and interior design firm with offices in Seville, Vienna, and Cairo, and the driving force behind the vision that transforms a luxury home into a unique experience. Villa Ascher is a project that combines Mediterranean features with a distinctly Marbella identity. Through a design that seamlessly integrates the home’s interior with its outdoor spaces, the villa makes the coastal landscape an integral part of itself. And the element that serves as a bridge between one world and another is the infinity pool, which the studio has clad with our terracotta bricks.

Terracotta is an ideal material for an infinity pool

An infinity pool is one that creates the illusion that the water extends all the way to the horizon. They are typically installed flush with the ground, taking advantage of changes in elevation to enhance the visual effect. In the case of Villa Ascher, the pool’s line is interrupted by the trees at the far end of the property, which are majestically reflected on the water’s surface. The Alboran Sea can be glimpsed on the horizon, creating the backdrop.

Two types of materials were used for this infinity pool: rustic bricks for the coping and marengo-colored glazed tiles for the bottom. The color variations and subtle tonal differences in our shades are a natural result of the artisanal process. The reflection of light enhances the chromatic richness of any of our glazed tiles. In this case, there’s also the stunning effect of seeing the tiles underwater: the bluish and greenish hues of this shade give the pool an organic, almost natural look, while maintaining ideal properties for insulation, slip resistance, and texture.

Terracotta is an excellent choice for pool lining, provided the material is specially treated for this purpose and the system is properly waterproofed and prepared under expert supervision. Contact us to discuss the compatibility of our products with different installation environments, and our team will be happy to advise you.

Visual cohesion through materials: terracotta for the pool, stairs, and terrace

Our pieces aren’t limited to the infinity pool—they’re also found in the outdoor spaces adjacent to the home. The handcrafted todobarro tiles can be seen on the deck perpendicular to the pool, on the stairs and the ground-floor porch, and on the terrace.

This decision not only provides aesthetic continuity, unifying the design, but is also a sustainable measure focused on energy savings. The thermoregulatory properties of terracotta make it the ideal material for outdoor flooring in a climate like Marbella’s. A clay floor absorbs moisture and releases it slowly through a process called evapotranspiration, which helps cool the environment and maintain humidity at comfortable levels. This reduces the need for active climate control measures both inside and outside the homes by mitigating the heat island effect.

For this project, the studio used the following pieces:

• Ladrillo Rústico (Rustic brick) 25×12, salmon-colored, 3 cm thick
• Medio Ladrillo Rústico (Half rustic brick) 25×6, salmon-colored, 3 cm thick
• Medio Ladrillo Rústico, 25×6, salmon-colored, 2.1 cm thick
• Cuadrado (Square) 15, salmon-colored, 2.1 cm thick
• Cuadrado 10, salmon-colored, 2.1 cm thick
• Cuadrado 5, glazed in marengo color, custom thickness

With the exception of the dark gray glazed tiles used for the pool’s base, the Antique texture was used for all other pieces: a finish we have perfected over decades of craftsmanship, which mimics the texture of ancient clay—polished and weathered by use—through a controlled aging process.