October 31, 2019
Las Catalinas is a beach town designed in a tropical traditional style, an architectural method that produces a cohesive, classic look that also allows for each home to respond to the topography and its position in town, and also adapt to the needs and vision of the homeowners.
The differences of these homes can be seen through many of these homes’ architectural features. Homes themselves can take a wide variety of shapes and sizes, engaging with town and the elements in different ways. There are also specific features in the homes, like unique and colorful pools, or the “gifts to the street” provided by town’s doors.
On the interiors, the floor plans, materials, finishes, art and craftwork, interior greenery, and many other details also contribute to the identity of a home or flat. One detail in particular that offers a subtle yet fundamental addition to each residence in Las Catalinas are the custom tiles.
Color, design, motif, and texture are all elements that tile can bring to a space. These tiles can be a colorful accent, a unifying element, and even the centerpiece to a room. In the homes of Las Catalinas, tiles take on these roles and more. Provided custom-made by the onsite production facility or from Costa Rican artisans, these tiles contribute to the overall atmosphere and purpose of the homes in Las Catalinas in many different ways.
Casa Brewer | Complementing Connection
Casa Brewer is one of the first seven residences built in Las Catalinas. This beachfront home fosters easygoing sociability with numerous gathering spaces, offers time spent in the outdoors with open air terraces and the internal courtyard, and provides a connection to town through the two levels of porches overlooking Paseo del Mar.
Beth Webb’s design uses subtle sand tones and whites to complement the rich colors that surround town, like the blues of the water or the vibrant greens of nature. Tiles found throughout the home feature sand tones and white in a similar way, adding a pattern that complements the welcoming and connected atmosphere of Casa Brewer.
StuCasa | The Natural Colors of the Rock Reefs
StuCasa is an indoor-outdoor home where the first floor’s indoor social spaces open onto a wraparound terrace looking over Playa Danta and Paseo del Mar. The second floor terrace also looks out over town, which make nature and town a constant presence in StuCasa.
StuCasa has a multilevel pool, and both levels have custom tiling on the floors. Rather than a single color, these tiles form a mosaic of many-shaded verde tikal marble that echoes the shifting colors of the ocean and rock reefs off of Playa Danta.
Casa Pelicano | A Home Full of Color
Casa Pelicano is filled to the brim with vibrant color and local art, design pieces, and murals. This home is surrounded by the beauty of nature and a townscape of interesting residences, and embraces these colorful surroundings with its playful and welcoming interiors.
Two forms of tile add to this colorful and welcoming home. In kitchen and internal living areas, an eye catching blue tile brings a splash of life onto the the smooth browns of wood work, leather, and the clay floor tiling.
Outside, the tile adds a pop of color, with dozens of hand painted cuban tiles that evoke the flowers of Costa Rica, providing a link to the colorful life of nature in the outdoor dining room.
Casa Blanca | An Eye-Catching Pattern in a Tranquil Beach Home
Casa Blanca embraces the beauty and tranquility of the beach with a decor of soft whites, blues, and sand tones as well as thoughtfully curated art, which can be found in the four bedrooms, pool patio, reading terrace, open concept living room, dining room, and kitchen. Casa Blanca is a place to settle into beach town life in a town that blends natural and manmade beauty.
In Casa Blanca, the tiles greet you at the main entry and guide you up to the common spaces, perched on the second floor. They are an eye-catching pop of color and pattern as you walk down Calle Cartagena and you can see the pattern hop up the stairs on the risers through the large arched front door. The designers of Casa Blanca chose its colors and accents carefully so they would make the most impact while upholding the fresh breezy feel of the home.
Casa Encantada | Adding Texture to Views
Casa Encantada is a hillside home with numerous outdoor and open air social spaces that embrace the views around. As such, the decor is subtle, in whites, blonde woods, wicker and sand tones, and permeable walls with star inlays that draw the eye to the beauty of town and the coast.
There are two main designs on the tile. The interwoven pattern seen above calls to mind the waves and provide a pleasing complementary texture in outdoor spaces where the focus is on the views. The second, found in some of the internal and downstairs spaces, is a star-tile that mirrors the stars found on the home’s permeable walls. This shows an interesting contrast of two uses of tile, where one adds a visually pleasing aesthetic to interior spaces, while the other provides support to the natural view.
Castillo del Mar | Bringing the Beach Into the Home
Castillo del Mar is the quintessential beachfront home, with views towards the water, a front gate that exits onto Playa Danta, and luxurious social spaces for dining inside or outside surrounded by the beauty of the beach.
The tiles in the home are a vibrant royal blue in a myriad of designs that can be found at the pool, on the stairs to the terrace, the grilling area, and in the bathroom. Each design is handmade and range from geometric to the master bathroom’s floral patterns, and echo the blue accents throughout the home that tie Castillo del Mar to the sea.
Casa Pacifica | Accents in a Rustic Interior
Casa Pacifica has a new rustic interior with dark woods and exposed brick complemented by rich splashes of color, like the water-shaded resin tables, royal blue bunk beds, custom throw pillows, and artwork. Hand-painted floral-pattern cuban tiles show two ways that this classic home uses color.
The kitchen’s tiles are slightly more muted, to complement the earth-tone floor tiles and the rich wood furniture and cabinetry, as well as the large windows that look out over the water and the forests.
Out in the outdoor dining room, a brighter selection of similar tiles complements the rusty red stucco, the vibrant greens, and the ocean views, enhancing the mixture of steady earth tones and bright greens and blues of town.
Casa Azul | Art and Design
Casa Azul is a four bedroom home on the beachfront surrounded by town, forest, and the ocean, decorated with curated art from renowned Costa Rican artists. Open air spaces and a collection of art including pieces by Lionel Gonzalez, Luis Chacón, Francisco Amighetti, Franceso Bracci, Candido Bido and Francisco Santos mean that even in time relaxing you’re surrounded by beauty.
The custom tiles in Casa Azul are in the master, which bring an ocean blue floral pattern into the master bathroom. This use of tile is a way to subtly continue the home’s emphasis on detail, artwork, and design, while also offering a space to refresh and relax.
Casa Ventanas | Support by Contrast
As its name suggests, Casas Ventanas has many windows all looking out over the coast, inviting the beauty of nature and the sunset into the spaces of the home. Whether in the bedrooms, living area, central living terrace, guest terrace, or showers, the views from the Punta Penca hillside are prominent. There’s also a curated collection of artwork throughout the home, which combines with the handmade design elements throughout to provide an artistic and thoughtful interior to complement the natural beauty outside.
In a home with vibrant surroundings and interiors, tiling can take a supporting role. In the kitchen, a simple dark gray and white pattern provides a base onto which the surrounding room can contrast. Subtler still are the off whites on the floors, terrace, and in the master bath. This natural tone and the very slight mosaic effect make the floor feel weathered and traveled, which also serves to emphasize by contrast the views and artwork throughout the home.
Detail and Design in Las Catalinas
These homes from the Bon Vivant homes are just a few examples of how tiling can complement the purpose of a home. These four, five, six, and seven bedroom residences are in prime locations in town, surrounded by stunning views and nature, and have carefully curated interior designs in which tiles are a fundamental supporting element.
This thoughtful detail and design can be found in the homes and flats of the entire Las Catalinas Collection, and help ensure that each property has its own identity and something different to offer on a visit.
