A wooden table with a rattan chair in front of an abstract landscape painting on a light green wall. Hanging from the ceiling is a vintage lantern-style chandelier with five colorful glass shades.

Rooted in place.

Designed for living.

Our work brings together interiors, exteriors, materials, and finishing details to create environments that feel enduring and deeply connected to their surroundings.

Who we are

Every project we take on is shaped by where it sits — the light, the materials, the way people actually live there. We work across residential, hospitality, and commercial spaces, involved from the first sketch through to the final styled room, so the design stays consistent from concept to completion.

  • At Nosara Design, our mission is simple: we create long-lasting spaces that feel like home. With decades building and living in Nosara, Costa Rica, we've mastered blending the coastal environment with warmth, timelessness, and comfort — choosing materials that hold up to the climate and details that age well, so a space still feels right years after it's finished.

  • Shaped by her upbringing in The Netherlands, Hong Kong, and Paris, Nosara Design's founder, Pauline Steenkamer, embarked on a quest for paradise that began with her journey to Los Angeles in 1988. Seeking adventure, she drove down the Central American coast, finally discovering her home in Nosara, Costa Rica.

    Her first project, Casa Pacifico, was built from nothing more than empty pasture land into a home rooted in its native jungle landscape. That project became the foundation of Nosara Design, now a full studio built on the same belief: that a home should feel like it belongs to the land it's built on.

  • Nosara Design takes a space from first idea to final detail — developing the design concept, sourcing furnishings, and designing custom furniture where nothing off-the-shelf fits. We work closely with architects and builders throughout, then handle installation and styling so every detail carries through from concept to completion.

Outdoor patio area with a wooden bench with green and white leaf-patterned cushions, a white hammock chair, and two small decorative objects on a wooden table, surrounded by lush green foliage.

Our Process

Every project moves through four stages — each one building on the last, so nothing feels rushed and nothing gets missed.

A bathroom with a bathtub, gold-colored faucet, and a towel. The wall has a ledge with decorative items including candles, shells, and stones. There is a gold-colored wall sconce with two lights, and a white shower curtain partially visible on the left.

  • We start by getting to know your space and how you want to live in it. This is where we develop the design direction — space planning, mood boards, material and finish suggestions, and, where the project calls for it, schematic sketches and renders that let you see the idea before it's built.

  • Once the concept is set, we finalize every selection — fixtures, fittings, finishes, lighting — and prepare the detailed plans needed to bring it all to life, so your build team has everything they need to execute with precision.

  • We stay closely involved through the build, coordinating fixtures, finishes, and flooring, and visiting the site regularly to make sure the design intent carries through to the final result.

  • While the design takes shape, we're also developing the furniture and furnishings that will complete it — sourced pieces, and where nothing off-the-shelf will do, furniture designed and built specifically for your space. Once the build is complete, we handle placement and styling down to the last detail.

Get In Touch

Have a vision? Fill out the form to get in contact with our team.