Tony and Pauline Arnold may be many miles away from their onetime Ascot home, but they have kept the equine theme in light, bright Marbella

It was the climate and light that convinced Tony and Pauline Arnold to move full time to the Costa del Sol. That and the wine! Tony says: “Rioja wines are so much cheaper here that in the UK. We also wanted to live in a part of the world that we love but is still only a short plane journey to England to visit friends and family.”

Sitting on the spacious terrace of their first-floor luxury apartment, La Concha, the mountain that dominates the skyline of Marbella and Puerto Banus, seems close enough to reach out and touch.
Before their move, home was a five-bedroom detached house near Ascot racecourse, where Tony could pursue his passion for horse racing. His love of all things equine is apparent from the pictures with a racing theme dotted around the apartment, especially the large canvas that dominates the entrance hall.

They both knew Nuevo Andalucía was where they wanted to live as they had already owned a small holiday flat close by and know the area well. Pauline explains: “We didn’t want to be too far away from all the amenities that this area has to offer. We are close to wonderful restaurants and shops and it is very quiet here and the scenery is stunning. The security here is also superb." Tony continues: “We looked at a lot of properties but fell in love with this one at first sight. The only problem was that it was very bland inside. Every thing was white. We had ideas of our own but decided to call in interior designers Alan and Kate Hall. Between us we reached a happy medium, creating a homely feel with not too much clutter that is easy to maintain.”

Before the couple moved in, the interior walls were painted throughout. Pauline explains: “Alan suggested we keep to neutral colours, adding darker panels to create depth. Each room has its own theme and colour scheme.”

Alan also commissioned English artist Jacqueline Ives, who lives on the Costa del Sol, to produce copies of some Picasso and Franz Marc paintings. Tony and Pauline chose three works with a food and drink theme for the dining area and two large still lifes for the hall. The horse picture, originally by Franz Marc, was Tony’s choice. He laughs: “Pauline and I thought it would be a good idea to have some Picassos in the house, especially as Picasso was born in Malaga. We couldn’t quite run to an original but Jacqueline is a talented artist and has created some very fine copies.”  He continues: “I particularly like the canvas of the horses. For many years I was involved in racecourse catering in the UK and spent more than 20 years visiting racecourses. I have owned racehorses over the years and am considering buying a horse in Spain. There is a very popular race course close by at Mijas, which I intend visiting on a regular basis.”

Each room has a theme. The master bedroom has a colonial African feel, utilising dark browns and creams combined with suede, leather and animal prints. This creates a strong masculine feel.
The first guest room is based on Moorish design using deep, rich colours and fabrics, which is emphasised by the dark wood window shutters. In contrast, the second guest bedroom is softer, making use of pastel creams and taupe.

“The developers were Scandinavian and have built the Aloha Park urbanisation to a very high standard,” says Tony. “The air conditioning works individually in each room and there is under-floor heating throughout. We probably won’t use the big marble fireplace in the sitting room so we have made a feature of it and had cupboards built either side with matching marble tops.”

The leather sofas were designed and made in Italy by Giuseppe Nicoletti. The coffee table and dining table and chairs are also Italian, made by Stone. Pauline and Tony found the lights throughout the house at El Corte Ingles department store in Puerto Banus.
“It has been quite hard work getting it as we want it,” says Pauline, “but we have got there in the end.”