Hidden behind a screen of tropical vegetation, Casa Areca is a place that presses the mute button on contemporary life.

Situated in a lush residential community, halfway between the vibrant beach clubs and the inland town of Tulum, on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, Casa Areca embodies a philosophy unusual in today’s design landscape: it’s a house that is deliberately restrained, where every design detail and material choice has been pared back to create a sense of space and calm.

Built for four close friends seeking a place of their own to escape the frantic pace of modern life, Casa Areca was conceived and executed by Co-Lab Design Office, a full service architecture and design-build firm based in the trendy beach town.

“The clients did not want anything too polished or ostentatious,” explains Joshua Beck, partner at the design studio. “They wanted a place where they could slow down, unwind, and feel part of the landscape of Tulum.”

This vision guided every decision in the creation of a home that achieves luxury not through extravagance, but through intentional simplicity.

CREATING SPACE

The challenge began with the site itself. A narrow, flat lot in a residential community, it offered neither views nor an abundance of space. Additionally, as the architects wanted to preserve the existing mature trees on the land, they decided to situate the pool on the side that received the most direct sunlight. This, however, made the available building space even narrower.

But rather than fighting these constraints, the architects embraced them, using the limitations to drive a design that feels both expansive and intimate. A single open living space on the ground floor, four en-suite bedrooms on the next floor, and a shaded roof terrace above those, gives the owners both the privacy and the community they wanted.

The kitchen, dining and living area is a long, fairly narrow space but walls of glass on two sides mitigate this by ensuring a continuous, seamless connection with the outdoors.

On the long side, facing the pool, vast glass doors slide all the way back, turning the interior into an extension of the garden. But it is the set of three frameless, floor-to-ceiling pivoting doors on the shorter façade that are particularly striking: a space-saving solution, they do not restrict access to the garden when open and channel prevailing winds through the interior. But they do more than that, the architect says: “They introduce a ceremonial quality. Opening them changes the dynamic of the space dramatically.”

QUIET DESIGN

In Casa Areca, the choice of materials speaks softly but profoundly. The palette is intentionally tight: polished cement, local wood and natural linen.

“The idea was to create a silent, calming backdrop for living, something that feels almost elemental,” Beck explains. “We were inspired by the wabi-sabi and slow-living ethos but wanted to temper that rawness with warmth and comfort.”

The polished cement surfaces – warm white on the walls and soft grey on the floors – reference the powdery sand and silvery driftwood at the coast. Together these create a neutral backdrop that allows the nearby trees, the shadows and the artisanal pieces to become the real decoration. But it also serves a practical purpose: cool underfoot, it’s ideal for the hot and humid Caribbean climate as well as being low-maintenance and resistant to salt and moisture.

The interior doors and furniture, all custom-made from local hardwoods, parota and tzalam – also known as Caribbean walnut – were treated with natural stains to harmonise their colour, introducing an element of warmth.

In the seating area, a custom designed parota wood sofa is paired with a built-in concrete daybed that was poured on-site. Softened with linen cushions, both pieces sit low to the ground, maintaining the sense of openness and spatial flow.

The few decorative items and accessories – a wicker lampshade, a natural fibre rug, a clay urn filled with golden grass – all adhere to the muted colour scheme. By editing decorative items down to a minimum, each has the space to shine.

Every detail of Casa Areca has been carefully considered both to create a sense of place and to ensure the house soothes the senses and promotes genuine rest. Even the pool, lined with a dark grey pigmented plaster, connects to this material narrative. “We chose it to echo the look of local cenotes, which often have warm, dark grey stones lining the cenote waters,” Beck says. “The darker tone helps the water reflect the surrounding trees and sky, creating a sense of depth and calm.”

This pared back palette of materials ensures everything speaks the same quiet language, making the house feel cohesive and grounded. Although the budget for this project was limited, the architect notes, that constraint led to more thoughtful design decisions, sourcing local materials, prioritising the essential, and avoiding excess.

The result is a house that is not only beautiful but offers respite from a world of sensory overload. Casa Areca is an invitation to a more intentional way of living – and an important reminder that true luxury lies not in having more, but in needing less.