Casa Sueños

A U-shaped board-formed concrete house on a sloping lot in Playa Grande, with two wings framing a central courtyard, a pool terrace open to the ocean, and a garden yoga pavilion below.

Casa Sueños sits on a double lot in Playa Grande, Guanacaste — one of Costa Rica's most iconic coastal towns, known for its national park, world-class surf, and the Tamarindo estuary beyond. The site slopes gently toward the beach, and the house responds in plan with a U-shaped form that steps with the ground, its two concrete wings framing a central courtyard. Board-formed concrete walls define the perimeter of the composition; the main living volume between them opens on two sides through large sliding doors to a generous terrace, pool, and outdoor kitchen with barbecue. Below the house, a lush tropical landscape designed by Inverse descends toward the ocean — and within the garden, a yoga pavilion sits with privacy on one side and open ocean views on the other.

The house is built from natural, honest materials — teak ceilings, board-formed concrete walls, and polished concrete floors cast with light local aggregates that mimic the pale colour and texture of beach sand underfoot. Lighting throughout is indirect and simple, giving the home a warm, even glow at night without a single exposed source. The plan is double-sided and cross-ventilated by prevailing breezes, supplemented by ceiling fans that reduce the need for mechanical cooling. The kitchen opens to a one-and-a-half-height living space capped by clerestory windows that bring morning light deep into the interior. Two upper-level bedrooms open to private balconies with ocean views beyond the canopy. Large roof overhangs shelter the home from both sun and rain. Entry is through a pivoting teak door into an arrival volume that divides the visitor — half a level down into the living spaces, half a level up into the private wing — with an indoor garden planted beneath the staircase to bring the landscape inside from the moment of arrival. Wall construction uses insulated polystyrene panels with sprayed concrete, providing excellent thermal performance in the coastal climate. The roof is standing seam metal with an integrated solar hot water system. The landscape shifts from lush and tropical immediately around the house to lower-water endemic species at the perimeter — planted for texture and habitat, chosen to attract butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden.