Architectural Design

This renovation began with an immediate need to rethink the layout, as construction on the adjacent lot was going to compromise most of the residence’s lateral natural light.

The blocked windows were closed with matching brick, and by using a translucent wash of paint we preserved traces of the original dark brick. New frameless windows were installed throughout, drawing as much light as possible from the one remaining exposure.

We used marble, wood, mirror and vintage fabrics to create a warm and quietly luxurious interior.

The new stairs became the centerpiece of the home. The stair leading to the master floor above is elemental, ladder‐like, allowing light to filter through, while the stair descending to the screening room and art studio is solid, its volume extending into benches for the room below.

The railing is a gesture of the hand — it is like a piece of jewelry.

Río Perdido Hotel, part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), is hidden between two converging canyons in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, where the cool Río Blanco meets the thermal Río Perdido.

The bungalows’ structures, designed by Studio Saxe, are raised above the terrain, preserving the natural flow of the landscape and allowing the forest to remain largely undisturbed. Environmental responsibility is central to the hotel’s philosophy and way of life.

For the interiors of the bungalows, we developed a warm palette using natural materials and woven textures. Most of the furniture was custom‐designed and fabricated in the hotel’s in‐house woodshop.

The design was developed in close dialogue with the architecture and the surrounding landscape, aiming to create an atmosphere of understated luxury that feels warm and natural.