The Mara is perched on waterside at the very end of Luke’s Pond Road in Southampton.

There is a sign that you are entering another world, and it is, in fact, a sign — which tells visitors to be aware of horses and carriages.

This is also a working world with Watson’s Farm as a neighbour, and there is a small quarry en route.

But journeying through the west end countryside to The Mara means that once you arrive, there is a sense of rural tranquility.

Described as a spectacular oceanfront home, it is built in a contemporary organic Spanish style. There are amenities such as split system air conditioning, but in a design that undulates around, up and then down a sweeping staircase that takes you into a multi-level wing which contains an open plan kitchen replete with stainless steel appliances and a large island with six burner stove.

There is also a dining area and a living room with a bottle-shaped fireplace, topped via a spiral staircase with a loft office.

These living areas are filled with light — it streams in through multiple windows and reflects off the curvature of the highly polished terracotta tiles which run through the house. Ultimately they lead to an outside terrace enclosed in a limestone wall. It overlooks a large infinity pool and the vivid blue of the Pompano Flats beyond.

There’s also a separate hot tub.

Unusually, though in keeping with the Iberian inspiration of the architecture and the natural light which filled the house, the walls are painted a subtle mustard yellow with some variations on the shade in individual rooms, which warms the house further. Pine doors leading into the bedrooms and hiding large closets continue the play of colour and warmth created by this sunny palate.

There is a guest unit, and three bedrooms, all with generous amounts of storage space, have en suite bathrooms. There is also a separate washroom.

The master bathroom is a masterpiece of thoughtful design, with a jacuzzi tub enclosed in its own little jutting wing with windows on all sides, through which it is revealed that it is enclosed again, sitting within an outdoor grotto topped with open rafters, which are draped with purple-flowering bougainvillea

For more information about this home, which is available for rent, e-mail crissonco@crissonrealestate.com