Natural wood is one of my favorite materials to work with. The beautiful grain, the depth of color, and so many other attributes make it stunning in a way that manmade materials can’t replicate.
Nature is a perfect muse, wouldn’t you agree? The colors, the designs, the incredible life that is around us all provide an unending source of interior design and decor inspiration. Many of my projects can obviously be categorized as nature-inspired interior design in Costa Rica. Can you blame me? I live in a gorgeous place and I love drawing inspiration from the beauty around me.
This is exactly what the new owners of Casa Mariposa were looking for. They had just bought the place and wanted to update the furniture and add some color to the walls. Excited at the prospect of another nature-inspired interior design project, I eagerly set to work..
Mariposa means butterfly in Spanish. Thus, in a house called Casa Mariposa, it isn’t surprising to see butterflies and butterfly-inspired decor. On one wall, there hangs a large framed photo of the brilliant Blue Morpho Butterfly that makes its home in Costa Rica’s jungle. Smaller blue butterflies appear on the walls in other places as well. To tie it all together, I added brilliant blue pops of color in the form of couches, ottomans, and throw pillows.
But butterflies aren’t the only jungle creatures that frolic across the walls in Casa Mariposa. Monkeys play, sloths hang from tree branches, a jaguar hunts, a brightly-colored macaw stretches its wings, and a noble toucan with its colorful bill greets visitors to the house.
Another wall portrays a set of four stunning sunsets, lending pops of brilliant, fiery orange color to the project. In one of the bedrooms, hangs a calming aerial photo of the coastline. It shows off the gorgeous turquoise waters and bright greens of our little piece of paradise here in Costa Rica. I could spend all day enjoying the various nature-themed photographs that hang in this little house.
Natural wood is one of my favorite materials to work with. The beautiful grain, the depth of color, and so many other attributes make it stunning in a way that manmade materials can’t replicate.
One of the big updates that the owners of Casa Mariposa wanted was a refresh of the old furniture. Of course, to tie in with the rest of the house’s nature-inspired interior design, natural wooden furniture was the logical choice. The most stunning piece was the dining room table that we chose. Instead of squaring it off as is normal, the edges of the table were left to follow the natural flow of the tree. You can even see the “imperfections” in the wood along the edges as it was left in a somewhat natural state. The wood was polished until it shone and the strong multi-toned grain makes this table truly magnificent.
Wood came into play again with the patio furniture arranged to enjoy the spectacular view over the jungle. Various colors of wood come together in an almost patchwork pattern. Down by the pool, minimalist wooden lounge chairs provide a place to relax in the shade.
All in all, the design of Casa Mariposa fits very well with the nature, jungle theme. Of course, the home is still luxurious and oozes the barefoot luxury vibe that I love so much. In fact, I love how well these two worlds can come together.
As I said, nature is an incredible muse and nature-inspired interior design is definitely my favorite!
If you’d like to learn about my most recent building renovation check out this link https://aurea-designs.com/projects/luxury-vacation-villa-renovation/
