Casa Azucar is a tropical Costa Rica home with a contemporary twist
Casa Azucar by Studio Saxe offers a tropical getaway to a client from North America, who sought a ‘habitable garden pavilion’
Casa Azucar was born from a client's dream to live in a ‘habitable garden pavilion’. Located in Costa Rica, the new home was conceived as a lush green getaway for its owners. Its architects, San José-based Studio Saxe, obliged, crafting a tropical retreat with a strong contemporary twist that ticks all the right boxes.
Casa Azucar by Studio Saxe
The property's plot is situated in the heart of the town of Nosara, which meant that while it is close to the beach and local amenities, the sense of seclusion and verdant surroundings the clients were after were possibly trickier to recreate. The solution to this challenge came in the shape of a small seasonal creek that runs across the site and serves as a wildlife corridor. 'We decided to focus our attention on creating the sensation of a secluded oasis, merging architecture and landscape design to carefully frame all views toward the creek and the wildlife that spawned from there. The house in turn is conceived more like a habitable garden pavilion,' the architects write.
So the architecture team not only respected the existing trees and ecosystem, but sought to further support and enrich it, ensuring the structure feels truly embedded on its site and, in time, becomes engulfed in nature. This ‘bridges the best of both worlds: closeness to everything and solitude in the forest’, the team explain.
In terms of the architecture, the Studio Saxe designers, headed by founder Benjamin G Saxe, are deft hands at creating domestic experiences that blend inside and outside, contemporary tropical modernism, and local materials and construction techniques – past examples include the lightweight Jungle Frame House, and the more recent Raintree House, both within Costa Rica. The same approach was adopted here; the home is dominated by wide open spaces with glazed walls or generous windows, and exterior areas.
At the same time, the studio adds: 'This house is a clear reflection of our client’s personality; [they] wanted to create a clean beach-like feel, so the colours, textures, and materials chosen were light and soft. This approach gave us the opportunity to implement a modern interior design that is both authentic and rooted in the past as well.'
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
First look: Western Mongolia meets Kew Gardens in John Pawson and Oyuna Tserendorj’s cashmere throws
Architectural designer John Pawson and cashmere designer Oyuna Tserendor have collaborated on a cashmere throw collection inspired by Pawson’s 70m Lake Crossing in the Royal Botanical Gardens
By Scarlett Conlon Published
-
How to buy art: the accessible new market
Thanks to a growing pool of art advisers, digital intelligence and collector groups, buyers are better equipped than ever
By Annabel Keenan Published
-
The coolest design-led coffee shops in Seoul
Seoul counts more coffee shops per capita than any other city in the world – cut straight to our six must-visit spots
By Robert Schneider Published
-
Makai Villas nestle into the Costa Rican treetops, embracing Pacific Ocean views
Makai Villas, by Studio Saxe, are a trio of sustainably minded residences poised on the leafy terrain of Costa Rica
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Take a tour of Pergola House in Costa Rica – a leafy residence open to the elements
Based in Costa Rica, Pergola House by Studio Saxe is a serene escape that blends indoor and outdoor living
By Tianna Williams Published
-
A pair of Costa Rican retreats brings a refined aesthetic to a spectacular site
Formafatal designs a pair of Costa Rican retreats; two minimalist villas for a maximalist plot in the heart of the jungle
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Raintree House is the ultimate Costa Rica sanctuary
Raintree House by Studio Saxe is a Costa Rica sanctuary in the jungle
By Ellie Stathaki Published