More awesome tiles–river rocks!–in Anapoima

Following up on today’s earlier post about Anapoima: I was also v. excited about the bathrooms. The sleeping wing of the house included four or five bedrooms that opened off a little courtyard; each room featured an en suite bath that culminated in an open-to-the-elements shower! Slatted walls and a glass partition defined the wet zone, which was floored in a mosaic of river rocks. Utterly soothing underfoot. 

I showered with a little “friend” one day:

You could get a similar look with tile from Islandstone, one of my favorite sources for river rock mosaic. They have a wide variety of options, from large freeform pebbles in multiple colorways to more monochromatic blends:

 

Get your zen on!

An amazing (tiled!) house in Anapoima, Colombia

I spent a blissful week in February in and around Bogota, Colombia: perfect weather, strong coffee, amazing architecture, tropical flora…I can think of no greater paradise.

A highlight: visiting a stunning weekend getaway in Anapoima, about two hours southwest of the city. The design offered the perfect combination of refuge and openness, with a backside that wrapped around an infinity-edge pool and a near absence of exterior wall to abet 24/7 interaction with nature.

A simple design gesture summed up the architectural sensibility: a delightful water feature that coursed along the entrance hall, culmination in a reflecting pool in which floated the first tread of a staircase leading up to the roofdeck. The bottom of the pool was lined in multicolored blue ceramics that looked glazed by hand…stunning. The effect was beyond cooling–both literally and figuratively.

Try this one at home.