TEMPLE

THANKS TO SMART DESIGN AND A FINE ATTENTION TO DETAIL, THE LUSH INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR SPACES OF THIS MEXICAN HOLIDAY HOME BECOME ONE.

- JO BUITENDACH

ARRIVING AT VILLA PETRICOR IS LIKE DISCOVERING A MAYAN RUIN, settled in the ground, and covered by centuries of lush greenery. It is difficult to believe that this unique vacation villa was only completed in 2022. But while it may not have been built by an ancient civilisation, there is no doubt that it's a temple of design.

Villa Petricor is named after the scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. The moniker is a gentle reminder that we need to slow down and renew ourselves, and is fitting because the house is located in Tulum, a developing seaside town on the Yucatán Peninsula that gets a fair amount of rain. Built on a relatively small (about 300m²), angular and narrow lot, the three-bedroom home was planned around several existing tree clusters, which the architects worked hard to protect. Recognising the importance of the natural habitat, they only removed what they absolutely had to.