Awaken | Nosara, Costa Rica
“Nestled within the verdant embrace of Nosara, ‘Awaken’ unveils a pair of homes designed to stir the senses and forge a serene communion with the jungle’s heart.”
| Overview
‘Awaken‘ rises from the vibrant heart of Nosara, where two homes stand as a beacon of design and natural harmony. Here, our client, drawn to Nosara’s warmth a decade ago through a home exchange, decided to lay down roots and create a space that embodies the ethos of connected and conscious living.
Reflecting on her journey, the client recounts, “My love for Nosara began with a home swap, which soon turned into an annual pilgrimage. It was the sense of community and the embrace of nature here that convinced me to invest. When I discovered Ben and Studio Saxe’s work, I knew they were the right fit to bring my vision of a home to life—one that would blend seamlessly with this cherished landscape. Our partnership was built on a shared passion for design and art that speaks to both the locale and the soul.”
| Concept
The essence of ‘Awaken’ lies in its duality—offering sanctuary-like privacy from the neighborhood and a profound bond with the untouched world before it. This concept is conceived to amplify the sensory journey, awakening inhabitants to the symphony of the natural world.
| Design
Studio Saxe designed the homes’ separation with a central courtyard, a thoughtful design that shields living quarters from the bustle of the street, directing life’s gaze toward the jungle. This spatial choreography of privacy and openness manifests through terraces, balconies, and a serene pool that faces the forest.
The master plan, influenced by the property’s linear silhouette and adjacency to a protected forest, distills the homes to the essence of seclusion, nudging them towards the embrace of nature, thereby deepening the communion with the wilderness.
| Sustainability
Strategically placed apertures usher in a dance of cross ventilation, cultivating an atmosphere of natural comfort within. The homes turn their faces to the jungle’s cool embrace, where the existing trees, woven into the design, offer shade and respite from the fervent tropical sun. Sustainably harvested local teak wood graces ceilings and key furnishings, blending the raw beauty of natural materials with the clean lines of modern architecture.
| Construction
A light-weight steel frame interlaced with concrete walls strikes a harmonious balance—fortified privacy adjacent to the openness at the core. A sheltering roof unfurls over the spaces, which open fully to the jungle’s tableau, fostering an enclave of solitude.