Villa T — West-Facing Coastal Retreat Shaped for Sunsets and Sea Air
Villa T rests on a hillside in Costa Rica, a west-facing house by Aarcano Arquitectura shaped for the light and breeze rolling off the Pacific. The project terraces across two levels and sets the master suite apart, linking daily life to the slope and the surrounding canopy. This is a house tuned to climate and view, composed of deep eaves, covered rooms, and long moments at the edge.
Warm air drifts across the hillside and ruffles the water’s edge. Long eaves cut the sun to a thin line and hold the horizon in view.
This is a two-level house in Costa Rica by Aarcano Arquitectura, arranged to meet the slope and the Pacific light. The throughline is climate: broad overhangs, shaded outdoor rooms, and open boundaries that trade walls for breeze and filtered sun.
Orienting to Ocean
The living areas face west, set under deep timber soffits that temper glare while framing the sky at dusk. Sliding glass walls pull aside so air moves freely across stone floors and into the great room, where ceiling fans keep the cadence steady without shutting the world out. An infinity-edge pool aligns with the terrace edge, its surface catching treetops and clouds as if it were a softer horizon.
Terraces as Rooms
Covered platforms act like outdoor salons—places to sit, eat, cook, and watch the light change. One terrace carries a lounge, dining table, and a long bar, all beneath a wood ceiling studded with fans and downlights that extend use into the evening. Planting along the slab edge and a slim waterline draw the jungle in without crowding the occupation.
Bridge and Retreat
The master suite stands apart, reached by a glass-and-wood bridge that turns circulation into a pause over greenery. Inside, the room opens to a balcony with a clear balustrade and a freestanding stone tub set just inside the eave, so bathing folds into birdsong and filtered shade. Curtains, timber screens, and the roof’s long brow provide privacy while keeping path and air unbroken.
Material Coolth
Materials work hard in the tropical heat. Pale stone underfoot stays cool through the day, while warm-toned wood lines ceilings, rafters, and cabinetry to steady acoustics and lend tactility. Rattan and woven chairs breathe, upholstered pieces sit low, and open shelves keep the kitchen visually light around a stone-topped island with a row of timber stools (easy to slide into at sunrise). In the baths, honed stone counters and tall mirrors borrow the canopy’s green to soften the morning routine.
Working With the Slope
The plan rides the terrain rather than resisting it. A sheltered lower terrace steps from the main level to form a shaded platform for yoga and quiet reading, half-held by earth and half-open to breeze and birds. Planting, masonry, and the retaining edges stitch architecture to the hillside so movement feels continuous from driveway to pool to forest.
Evening comes, and the eaves turn gold while the pool holds the last bright band. The house relaxes into cross-ventilation and soft fan hum, a steady rhythm against the trees. From terrace to bridge, Villa T reads the coast by light and air, then answers with shade and calm.
Photography courtesy of Aarcano Arquitectura
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