The moment you drive up the hill and catch a glimpse of the Ocotea Hotel’s graceful lines and striking modern design, you understand that you are about to experience something new and unique. The stark white walls and expansive windows certainly stand out against the lush greenery of the gardens and the spreading branches of damas trees like a cool and comforting oasis.
For a long time, people thought about time in nature as the opposite of luxury and comfort. Terms like “roughing it” reminded us that we would be giving up our comfort in order to immerse ourselves in nature. Eventually, people started to question this idea. Why couldn’t we have both? After all, luxury is in the eye of the beholder, just like beauty, and for those eco-conscious travelers, the ability to enjoy the natural surroundings far outweighs the need for massive cookie-cutter hotels with their landscaped golf courses and manicured grounds.
It was an idea that sparked a new design concept. One that incorporates the world around us instead of clearing it or making it conform to fit antiquated ideals. This new design trend is spreading and growing, like the natural elements that it seeks to protect. Today, elements of natural modern design can be found at all levels of the hospitality industry, from the smallest B&B to the largest hotel chains.
The use of natural modern design elements was a stroke of brilliance on the part of owners Karen and Valeria Fallas and their design team, but then every detail of the design was carefully thought out and intentionally created with certain key goals in mind.
- Creating a peaceful space for relaxation and reflection
- Bringing the outside in and immersing guests in the beauty and life that exists just outside the doors.
- Designing a calm and welcoming space that showcases the local resources and craftsmanship in a simple yet functional way.
Natural Modern as a Design Style
So, what is natural modern design? And why was it chosen? A simple definition would be,
“Natural modern design aesthetic combines the striking, artistic simplicity of modern design with the warmth and elegance of the more traditional, rustic architecture in tune with nature.”
What this creates is a contrast that is visually appealing and interesting for the viewer. An example would be rustic stone juxtaposed against smooth, refined elements like flat wooden panels, or in Ocotea’s case, traditional squared-off walls accented by angular black metal railings and overhangs and smooth natural wood slats. Natural modern identifies the elements in nature that make an area unique and then brings them into the design as a design feature.
This results in the type of smooth, clean lines, understated elegance, and soothing atmosphere that exemplifies modern design, but carries it one step further. Ocotea was intended to be a place of sustainable, eco-friendly tourism, intentionally created to showcase the best that Costa Rica and Monteverde have to offer the world.
For this, designers Andres and Sebastian incorporated bespoke, locally-crafted elements that not only blend effortlessly into the hotel’s natural surroundings but bring them inside.
Uniquely Ocotea
Everywhere you look, small details reflect the outside world, and subtle elements soften the stark white and soothe the soul. While the hotel embodies the high contrast of natural modern style, it does so in a way uniquely designed to blend in with its surroundings, following the natural contours of the steeply terraced property and working with existing natural landmarks. This intentionally non-invasive construction style helps give the impression that the Ocotea Hotel has simply grown from the earth, and is part of its surroundings, albeit a part that shines in the sun.
What’s interesting about Ocotea is that at first glance, the interior is simple. Very little break up the clean lines or detracts from the play of light and shadow created by the wooden slates that meander up the walls and across the ceilings. It is only once you have settled in and absorbed the sense of calm and peacefulness, that you relax and begin to notice the details in that simplicity.
There is an uncompromising quality of the construction, the craftsmanship, and the artistry behind those elements. Perhaps the best example lies in the custom-designed and handcrafted ceramic tiles which are found in the bathrooms. Local artisans worked directly with Ocotea's design team to create not one, but 5 unique designs specifically created for the hotel.
There are others. Even the main staircase is beautiful with its smooth clean lines, metal fittings, and functional design. For those with an artistic bent, it could almost be considered a gallery piece in its own right, reflecting and enhancing the light that filters through the many windows.
Perhaps Life is Art
Natural modern welcomes elements like light, and explores them. Walking around the hotel, you can see subtle differences expressed when the light changes throughout the day, activating different pieces of design. The morning sun might illuminate striations in the marble, shine on shining craftwork, or create intricate shadows as it passes through the woven wicker light fixtures.
Perhaps the real beauty isn’t the elements themselves, but the way in which they absorb, reflect, and enhance nature itself, and the true genius of the designers is their ability to foresee this and take advantage of it. When the soft pastels of the setting sun paint the walls with shades of rose gold and crimson or the millions of stars glimmer and twinkle as they reflect in the sheet glass windows, you’ve begun to understand natural modern design.
It is a perspective on living art, given life by the natural world.
And that takes me full circle, back to the original goals I mentioned before, and the intentional creation of a space meant to soothe and comfort, but also meant to immerse, entice, and showcase. After all, when you live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, there is art all around you.
The Hidden Elements
And that covers the apparent benefits of natural modern as a design style, the parts that enhance your life and make your stay at Ocotea memorable, or at least, the features that you can see or sense, and that you appreciate as a result.
But those aren’t the only natural modern elements to be found at Ocotea. Far from it, because there is so much going on in the background, quietly creating a seamless experience for you, the guest, while protecting and sustaining the nature that is so obviously part of our lifestyle. From the Ocotea (avocado) tree that gives the hotel its name, to the flora and fauna that thrives beneath the ocotea tree’s spreading branches, there is more to appreciate than you can see.
Tech-savvy guests may catch a glimpse of the solar panels that provide renewable energy and heat for your showers. Long before the hotel’s first guest arrived, the design team knew that they wanted the hotel to make as little impact on its surroundings as possible, and every effort was made to incorporate technology as well as design to accomplish this.
From the Ground UP
In concert with Setena, Costa Rica’s environmental gatekeeper, they had intensive studies done to assess the hotel’s environmental impact and to meet their sustainability guidelines. Wherever possible, technological advances have been used to reduce consumption and maximize efficiency, so that future generations will be able to enjoy the same biodiversity and study the same thriving ecosystems that exist today, and which can be seen through every window. Thanks to their knowledge we were able to implement good practices, like septic tanks with microorganisms to help break down waste products, our own solid waste treatment program, electrical wiring that is underground and doesn’t interfere with the area wildlife, and those solar panels. But being sustainable also means using biodegradable cleaning products, and organic toiletries.
Taken as a whole, modern nature is a perspective. One that appreciates the outdoors, accepts its influence, and draws it into everyday life. One that isn’t afraid to use modern technology to enhance its comfort and reduce its carbon footprint. It changes the definition of luxury from one that involves plushness and over-the-top extravagance and evolves it to include simple comfort, modern conveniences, and adventure, enhanced by the true luxury of connecting to nature. Because, after all, we as a society, are slowly beginning to understand that life isn’t about “stuff”. It’s about experiences, connection, and communion with the world in which we live.
If you would like to dip your toe into the world of natural modern, as a design choice or a lifestyle choice, the Ocotea Boutique Hotel is a great place to start. Just click this link to get started.
