Tropical Houses – Exquisite Designs Hidden in the Heart of Goa

The late great architect Geofrey Bawa said “Life in the tropics is about living out of doors”. This simple statement sums up the unique opportunity afforded to those lucky enough to design and live in the magic of the tropics.

      The tropics have a long tradition of open pavilions, which are the essence of building in this part of the world, revealing a deep sensitivity to the climate and landscape. No where else can you allow the indoor and outdoor world to become one. The art is to create the illusion of inviting the rich tropical gardens into the living space and extend the living space out into the glorious sensual world around you. Walls evaporate as you allow indoor spaces to open out onto vistas of over sized mesmerising plant and fauna. The pleasure of  tactile and sensorial experiences cannot be underestimated - the need to touch, to feel, to respond to a breath of wind, the fragrance of a flower, the sound of a frog or a parakeet. Closing this outside world off, by following traditional western building styles would be to shield your soul from the enrichment of meshing two environments.

       Removing the need for some of the walls in a house affords the architect an incredible freedom of artistic design. It’s almost like taking a blank page and re-thinking all your preconceptions about lifestyle design and the use of space. You can play with the style and look inside and out releasing plays of light and shadow as the bright sun overhead moves around the divine spaces “inside”. The atmosphere and ambience generated should mesmerise and behold any individual who enters. Of course to create such an indulgent canvas takes painstaking research of the orientation of the plot, the situation, the seasons and the materials best suited to your goals.

        The mistake is to consider the gardens as a secondary consideration to the house. The planting brings a house to life in the tropics and allows the building to harmonise with the surrounding environment. With the inside and outside spaces planned as one you must consider the landscaping, planting and water features right from the outset and attain them the same value as the house itself.

         To complete the romantic celebration of living in the tropics the interior design must harmonize the lush surroundings to the indulgent contemporary living. Interior and garden design are intertwined and must be carried out simultaneously with the architecture itself. Every space in each villa is carefully designed to offer a lifestyle approach to your wellbeing through the choreography of the elements and the manipulation of lighting for an atmospheric ambience and an indulgent escape.

       Tropical living at its very best can be witnessed and enjoyed at one of the greatest examples of tropical villa design in the world at the exclusive Coco Shambhala in Goa, India. They used their own interpretation of traditional tropical design and worked closely with local trades people to allow a penchant for hedonistic spaces through luxurious open air rooms to flourish. No where demonstrates this better than the stunning first floor open plan living spaces which take advantage of the cool sea breeze to provide cross ventilation. These shady, breezy spaces in the treetops capture the magic of staying in the tropics. The most seductive rooms have no doors or windows, they’re sumptuously furnished indoor-outdoor spaces which allow you to interface with the heady tropical environment – like the open air colonnaded jet pool rooms, a place to relax and escape with your subconscious thoughts. Everything is tied together with extraordinary jungle style gardens which continue to surprise and astonish as the days pass by. The most wonderful thing about Coco Shambhala is the houses are available for exclusive holiday vacations, so go experience it for yourself and be inspired!