“Our goal for the Interior Design for Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort Costa Rica was to create spaces that in meaningful ways engage the hotel with the natural world, the culture and the people of Costa Rica, and in particular of Guanacaste and Peninsula Papagayo” shares with us the Interior Designers from DAS Concepts. This goal blends seamlessly and harmonizes with the Andaz philosophy of “providing each guest with an authentic, local experience” and with the architecture of the resort.
In this privileged setting, nature is the star. There are no dividing lines between the environment, architecture, and interior design. The interior design takes its cues and interacts with both nature and architecture, creating spaces intended for reflection and enjoyment.
A collection of short stories by Costa Rican writers provided further inspiration for the different venues of the Resort. Thus, the guestrooms and suites evoke the world as described in Rima de Vallbona’s “Mystery Stone”; the rooms, simply but thoughtfully designed, are conceived as tree houses, open to the sights, sounds, and smells of the surrounding forest.
At a more prosaic level, materials and furnishing were selected for their natural qualities and their connection to Costa Rica. The design engaged many local artisans and manufacturers, who following the vision for the design created most of the furniture and artifacts, becoming a showcase and testament to their skills, creativity, and love for their craft.
Art, furniture, and accessories were selected to be part of the landscape itself; objects that were either left in these surroundings by nature, or crafted by distant ancestors and later found. As with other aspects of the design, Costa Rican artists such as Cecilia Paredes, Adela Marin Villegas, Karen Clachar, or Museo Islita feature prominently.
The result is a hotel where modern comforts coexist with an honest aesthetic, where scenery, art, architecture, and design come together in a delicate balance of sustainable and consistent forms. A new hotel with an already established history and traditions. An environment meant to engage the guest and provide a setting for unique and unforgettable experiences, a sort of walk bonding our own primeval selves with the pristine and primitive setting around us.