Petricor, the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil, reminds us of the peaceful feeling that is nature renewing itself, through quietness and stillness. Villa Petricor connects us to the natural world by providing spaces that encourage us to slow down and marvel in the beauty of the present moment.
This villa was built around several existing tree clusters and was oriented to take advantage of the prevailing winds. By carefully planning the windows around the trees, green views fill the rooms allowing natural light to filter through, decorating the walls with projected, moving shadows.
This three-bedroom house with arched openings creates fluid transitions between interior and exterior spaces. On the ground floor, an open living space connects to the pool through large arched pivot windows.
A tropical garden surrounds the house creating privacy while providing a lush backdrop for all rooms. On the master suite, the bedroom, lounge and terrace merge into one continuous space through cascading level changes. Built-in furniture such as the platform bed and benches merge with the walls, floor and vaulted arched ceiling, creating a continuous, seamless space.
Four skylights were introduced to bring natural light and ventilation to all interior spaces of the villa. The washed light on the wall sand floors enhances the texture of the polished cement interiors, revealing the perfectly imperfect handwork of local artisans. Projected shadows cast by the surrounding vegetation further extend the presence of nature in all the rooms of the house.
The finishes were custom-made and thoroughly studied to merge all the elements, creating a serene and calming interior. The polished cement walls and terrazzo floors are coloured with mineral pigments mixed on-site to blend seamlessly, revealing a sculpted monolithic interior. Soft earth-toned fabrics complement bespoke furnishings and decorations designed and fabricated by the architecture studio itself. The dining table with its fluted support leg was cast directly on the job site and completed with Santo Tomás marble top, cut and processed on-site. Santo Tomás marble is also used on the kitchen countertops and in the bathrooms.
The concrete light features are designed and fabricated in CO-LAB’s workshop, and equally dyed to fit the color scheme. The wooden chairs were designed by the studio and fabricated together with a local carpenter. The pivoting windows are custom designed and fabricated from rolled stainless steel tube frames with recessed frames.
VILLA PETRICOR @villapetricor
Architecture and Construction: CO-LAB Design Office @colab_tulum – co-labdesignoffice.com
Photos: César Béjar @cesarbejarstudio
