- Interior
- Architecture & development
Amid a soft tropical landscape, the Metafor Villas emerge, a series of homes designed around light, air and refined simplicity. The architecture reads as a quiet composition, where materials, proportions and shadow patterns set the rhythm of daily life. The villas appear not so much constructed within their surroundings as grown from them – in a carefully calibrated relationship with climate and terrain.
The project is led by Lab Loci, a practice operating between Italy and Bali, fully dedicated to residential architecture. The studio works from the concept of genius loci, the character of a place that informs architectural decisions. This approach translates into homes that harmonise with their surroundings and act as extensions of the landscape. Lab Loci explores the intersection of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary techniques, with a keen eye for detail and a preference for natural materials that carry their own histories. 
Metafor Villas are described as a study in refined simplicity, rooted in a tropical architectural language. The villas are structured around a double wooden façade, in which finely positioned louvres filter sunlight and cast a shifting pattern of shadows across the spaces. This layer simultaneously provides ventilation and privacy, allowing the homes to open to the climate without losing their sense of calm. Inside, an earthy palette and pure textures dominate: lime plaster mixed with coconut fibre, handcrafted joinery, and bespoke furniture that aligns with the architecture.
The villas are structured around a double wooden façade, in which finely positioned louvres filter sunlight and cast a shifting pattern of shadows across the spaces.
At the heart of each villa lies an internal garden that stretches through double-height space. This green core brings light and air deep into the plan and naturally connects the living areas. On the ground floor, spaces flow seamlessly from the front garden to the pool, supported by openings that enable cross-ventilation. The vertical light from the garden atrium introduces a serene tension, as if the house is constantly breathing. 
On the first floor, the internal garden remains the organising element. The double façade system with wooden louvres shields the spaces from tropical sun and rain, while the light passing through subtly shifts throughout the day. A central light well draws additional daylight inward, emphasising the sense of a breathable, open structure. Beneath the building, an elevated floor slab ensures air circulation and protection from moisture and flooding, aided by perforated brick walls that promote natural ventilation under the volume. Metafor Villas thus present architecture precisely attuned to its tropical context: clear, understated and fully supported by its surroundings.
Photography by Willem Keuppens
Text by Carolien Depamelaere