
I had to share one more spectacular retreat designed by CO-LAB. This one is a touch less modern and a tad more bohemian and earthy. Tucked into a lush landscape of Areca Palms, Casa Areca was carefully positioned on a narrow lot to preserve existing trees and palms. Designed as a vacation home, Casa Areca, features 4 en-suite bedrooms on the 1st floor – allowing for an open ground floor plan. The kitchen, dining and living room are spatially integrated and open to the exterior through retractable and or pivoting floor to ceiling glass doors. A wrap-around deck frames the pool and private gardens. Built from CMU blocks and reinforced concrete the walls of the house are finished with white polished cement techniques. Light grey polished cement floors complement the walls to create a soft color pallet to better contrast the bespoke furnishings designed by CO-LAB and built with Yucatan artisans. An abundance of windows carefully oriented to capture prevailing breezes, keep the house cool and fresh throughout the year, creating a peaceful atmosphere optimal for unwinding after a beach day. Architecture + Construction + Interiors + Landscaping: CO-LAB (Photos: Cesar Bejar)
















Jeffrey Dungan is an architect based in Alabama who is recognized for his clean and modern approach to traditional vernaculars and classical architecture but there is a modern and somewhat edgy approach he takes that is 100% my cup of tea. I could barely get through prepping this post as I kept going back through the photos to take a 3rd and 4th look to make sure I didn’t miss anything.





















It’s unfortunate this space is not furnished but let your imagination run wild with the endless potential it has… An 18th century stone manor becomes an unexpected special event pace in Goderich, Ontario. Utilizing a monochromatic colour scheme and tactile materials, the space pays homage to the moon, the only respite in the dark and secluded landscape. Bold, sweeping arches and an extruded barrel ceiling were introduced into the otherwise formal plan to further emphasize the narrative of the moon. Limewashed walls lend a texture that is unmistakably reminiscent of how our naked eye perceives the moon’s surface. In opposing rooms, the highly contrasting colours mimic the dark side. In the kitchen, precious onyx slabs were broken by hand and layered for an unexpected backsplash that adds a beautiful and rugged texture. Designed by Author. (Photos: Niamh Barry)













Yes it’s pracitical and beautiful but this contemporary house is taken to the next level by the bespoke joinery. Attention to detail and then just a little bit more. I’m swooning over the cerused oak featured throughout. House M by Cassandra Walker Design.











“From my grandfather I inherited a modest forester’s lodge in the heart of Pszczewski landscape park. I wanted to enhance it and create contemporary dacha for friends and family.” The idea of finishing the second house in the middle of the woods came from Investors’ love for nature and proactive way of spending spare time, as well as the need to create an asylum, standing in contrast to the quick, everyday life of big cities. Although the dacha steers away from traditional representation of a lodge, all design solutions and materials draw direct inspiration from the overpowering proximity of nature.
The building’s entrance was placed in the link between old and new parts of the house and it encapsulates both a dressing room and a bathroom for guests. Interior corridors, along with the windows, were underlined with plywood frames, which stand out even in the floor’s finishing. Newly built house’s wing includes a spacious dining room and englassed living room, which were separated from each other with a centrally placed, massive chimney made out of black steel. Big windows, framed with natural plywood allow for experiencing to the fullest the picturesque forest
surrounding the house. The fronts of furniture installments, those made of natural plywood along with the vanished ones bear resemblance to traditional farm doors with oblique braces.
This truly is a perfect weekend getaway. Simple, functional design and the plywood is a beautiful natural detail. Designed by mode:lina, photos by Patryk Lewiński


















