Casa Y Vida

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Background

Casa Y Vida literally means: House and Life. Discover inspiration for your ideal home on the Costa. From interior design and garden ideas to practical tips for a comfortable and stylish life.

Spanish acoustics

Casa Y Vida

Spanish acoustics: if walls could talk, you’d hear them even more clearly in December

I love December in Spain. The light is soft, the air cool, and the days feel longer than they really are. But as soon as the sun goes down and everyone retreats indoors, my hearing rediscovers something every single December — something Spanish houses confirm without any shame at all: acoustically, they have no filters whatsoever. Everything sounds louder than it’s meant to — and that’s exactly why December becomes […]

today12/24/2025

hosting guests

Casa Y Vida

The art of hosting guests on the Costa: relaxation over perfection

There are countries where hosting guests feels like a kind of performance. The table has to be right, the chairs must match, and someone will inevitably suggest “making it cosy for a moment”, followed by a stressful quarter-hour in which candles, napkins and playlists compete for attention. Spain doesn’t do that. Here, hospitality doesn’t begin with the house, but with the attitude of the people who live in it. And […]

today12/17/2025

Spanish December lighting

Casa Y Vida

How to use light for atmosphere without kitsch: Spanish December lighting

There are moments in December when Spain seems to forget it’s winter. You walk through a street in Málaga or Almería and, before it’s even properly dark, the first lights begin to glow softly against the whitewashed walls. No spectacle. No choreography. It feels more as if the light itself decides it’s time to come on. After my earlier pieces on lighting, you may have seen this one coming: a […]

today12/10/2025

Spanish home winter-ready

Casa Y Vida

Warm living without fuss: simple ways to winter-proof your Spanish home

December in Spain is a strange season. Outside, the light is still warm enough to justify a late lunch on the terrace, while indoors you suddenly realise your house has quietly shifted into a different time of year. Tiles that feel as if they’ve come straight from a cryo lab. Walls that keep summer heat out effortlessly, yet let every winter breeze wander in as if it’s family. Winter-proofing your […]

today12/03/2025

November garden

Casa Y Vida

Outdoor living in November: what your garden needs now

We’re living in the month when the Spanish sun briefly steps back — not out of disinterest, but out of courtesy. Summer has done its work, the soil is allowed to breathe, and even the olive tree seems to sigh with relief. November is a time for rest, in the garden too. The art of doing nothing (advanced level) Many expats think a garden should always be doing something: blooming, […]

today11/26/2025

water saving

Casa Y Vida

Saving water without going thirsty: smart living in the dry months

In Spain you often hear that water is “the new gold”. And yet we still tend to treat it like soft drinks: widely available, cheap, and endlessly refillable. That is, until summer arrives and the authorities suddenly ask us to skip watering the garden for a day. The funny thing is this: almost everyone drinks bottled water here, but happily hoses down the pavement with tap water. As if we […]

today11/19/2025

cozy living

Casa Y Vida

The art of cozy living: why Spaniards don’t need candles

In a tapas bar in Marbella, I recently overheard a Dutch couple sighing that Spaniards “don’t really do gezelligheid.” I smiled. Having lived in England for years, I thought I knew what coziness was — until I heard the Dutch talk about gezelligheid. A word that fascinates even my British friends, because it seems to include everything from candlelight to croquettes. But here in Andalusia, I’ve learned that cozy living […]

today11/12/2025

heating home spain

Casa Y Vida

Warmth without waste: how to keep your Spanish home comfortable

At the bakery this morning, I overheard someone say that the air conditioner works just fine as a heater. I thought it was a joke. Regular readers already know how complicated my relationship with that device is — let’s just say we tolerate each other as long as the thermostat stays out of it. But then, how do you heat a home in Spain? The misconception of comfort As soon […]

today11/05/2025

wijn wonen inspiratie

Casa Y Vida

Wine & Living – Inspiration for the Future

A friend from England asked me recently: “Has wine basically become part of your interior by now?”I laughed — not because it was exaggerated, but because it was actually quite true. Here, wine is quite literally part of life — not just in the glass, but in the way you live in your home. And that might be the most beautiful lesson life on the Costas teaches you: you don’t […]

today10/29/2025

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