Playfully Reimagined – PLAYA House by Hugh-Jones Mackintosh

Expertly transformed, PLAYA House has become a muted and colour-rich immersion of texture and surface that is focused on the surrounding views. Hugh-Jones Mackintosh instils a playfulness in the design approach, reflecting and capturing the personalities of its owners to create a retreat-like experience.

Optimising its Palm Beach siting, PLAYA House embodies a transportive quality. In recreating the feeling of a luxury resort or destination hotel, the holiday home develops a distinct identity through the curation of its elements and a clear narrative that connects people with place. Elements of traditional vacation homes are seen through an overall lightness and natural materiality used throughout, while the bringing together of unique shapes and forms adds an individual character. Hugh-Jones Mackintosh focuses on adding layers of warmth and richness to the coastal setting, both connecting to and contrasting the effects of the surrounding natural elements and landscape.

Optimising its Palm Beach siting, PLAYA House embodies a transportive quality.

Working within an existing architectural shell, the interior of the structure is replanned and reimagined through a contemporary lens. The home sits aligned with the water’s edge, allowing key free-flowing access between inside and out with a dedicated outdoor lounging and entertaining spaces acting as an extension of the interior. Engaging the landscape, natural materials are used and large openings ensure natural light and ventilation can fill the spaces throughout the year. Introducing the use of wicker, rattan and limestone, the existing timber sits comfortably as the anticipated next layer of the home.

While furniture and lighting play an integral role in how each of the spaces feel, the selection of artworks plays an equally vital role in framing the subsequent sensibility of the home. Drawing inspiration from the ebb and flow of the nearby ocean, the works and resulting palette are centred around an organic core, resulting in tones and colours that are calming and create a feeling of immersion. Tactility then heightens the experience of each of the openly connected rooms, with textures and complementary elements used in a balanced manner to complete a feeling of structured composure.

Hugh-Jones Mackintosh focuses on adding layers of warmth and richness to the coastal setting, both connecting to and contrasting the effects of the surrounding natural elements and landscape.

With a light base forming the foundations of PLAYA House, the varying insertions of colour add a depth that aligns with the functions of the spaces. With both open and closed gestures throughout, Hugh-Jones Mackintosh proposes an immersed oasis with a sense of seclusion worthy of the setting.