Casa Black, a private residence by Garton Group Architecture, sits in Playa Grande along Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. The home is organized on an extended linear axis, with spaces that shift from communal gathering areas to more secluded retreats, all while staying connected to the surrounding tropical landscape.

The experience begins at a shaded entry that leads into an elongated circulation corridor lined in stone. Openings in the corridor wall frame courtyard gardens, and the textured masonry surface picks up changing patterns of natural light as you move through the house.

At the center of the plan, the living room, dining area, and kitchen come together under a continuous timber ceiling. Custom millwork and built-in casework echo the wood grain overhead. Full-height sliding glass doors open the main living volume to exterior terraces, a swimming pool, and gardens protected by deep cantilevered roof overhangs.

Materials do much of the heavy lifting in the design. The palette combines board-formed concrete, native stone masonry, and finished timber. Inside the private areas, the primary suite sits in a separate wing and is reached by an exterior pedestrian bridge spanning a natural ravine, placing the room up in the tree canopy. In the bathrooms, full-height glazing, integrated planters, and ceiling-suspended mirrors pull perimeter vegetation into the interior envelope.

For crews looking at projects with this kind of detailing, the big takeaway is coordination. Long runs of masonry paired with large glazed openings and tight interior transitions reward early layout decisions, consistent stone selection, and clear expectations for surface texture and alignment. When the wall itself is meant to “catch” daylight, craftsmanship becomes part of the lighting design.

Read the full, original article from Designboom here.