Studio Saxe completed this lush hillside retreat in Costa Rica, crafting a home seemingly suspended in the forest while opening itself to wide Pacific Ocean views. Named Villa Nuri, the residence is perched on a steep slope and arranged as a vertical sequence of spaces that rise through the trees. The architects anchored the structure with a concrete base, the lower volume allowing the upper level to sit poised with the canopy looking out to the horizon. On the top level, social terraces and the main bedroom flow into one another, creating airy indoor-outdoor living framed by the distant ocean. A dramatic cantilevered infinity pool projects over the jungle from this level, appearing to hover like a waterfall on pause. 

Secondary bedrooms are tucked into the middle volume below, where rooms still enjoy sea views thanks to the natural gradient of the site. Throughout the house, Studio Saxe blended light materials, generous glazing and planted terraces to give the architecture the feel of a ‘jungle nest’. Inside, splashes of color were added to reflect the blues and greens of the surrounding landscape, punctuating the otherwise calm palette. Deeply tied to its setting, Villa Nuri dazzles with its expansive, open connection to the world around it.

Photography © Alvaro Fonseca