For reasons that go back into our ancestry, we humans always try to have a roof over our heads. Many people build their own house fromscratch, some convert an existing one and others still, buy a ready built house. In the end, we manage to find our own friendly spaces, which reflect our tastes and our identity and where we can live in comfort. In other words we want to achieve our“home sweet home.” There are a surprising number of homes, thousands of them all around the world; some built out of the most basic elements while others use costly materials. Nevertheless it isn’t the amount of money that we spend on our homes that guarantees that we achieve our final dream knowing that we have arrived home and that we feel good about it. Realizing this dream is the most important thing that we have to take into account when we are planning the house we are going to build or buy.

The number of foreigners who are now beginning to establish themselves in Panama, adopting this country as their new home, is no longer a secret. Neither should we be surprised that it is foreigners who most appreciate contact with nature and who often achieve their ideal “home sweet home” through simplicity of design. We have been welcomed into many homes, and few of them are as homely and welcoming as this.

At the entrance we are drawn into a simple area with a table and two chairs, a clear indication of what we will find inside. A very simple environment, tastefully and naturally decorated. It is like going back to the days where home owners did not rely on professional decorators to express their taste, but little by little added individual touches of their own, like pieces of a jigsaw, as they made their home their own.

This house, built on several floors, was remodeled by its owners who were looking to make the best use of space, and above all, of the view. Each separate environment faces the sea, and nature and natural light complement the decoration, illuminating every corner.

The living room, dining room and kitchen are laid out in an open plan design on the second (top) floor, providing a warm, friendly living environment.

The ground floor provides accommodation for three bedrooms – the master bedroom, the baby’s room, and the third, which is used as a small office, as the owners have decided to establish their home here, away from the city.

The outside stairs descend to a teak clad deck with a small pool. Without much detail and in an understated way, the owners have managed to achieve for the house the character they were seeking when they bought it: something that would enable them to enjoy an environment that would fill them with peace and tranquility, without recourse to anything more than the nature that