Growing Slowly

New spaces always excite us. We love how their open potential complements our drive to keep creating, experimenting and innovating. Taking advantage of the slow seasons in 2020 and 2021, we’ve been pouring our energy into a new project that takes the Spice Trail experience to another coast.

Just over two years ago, we discovered a fantastic old house while exploring Sri Lanka’s southern coast. Sensing its potential, we decided to bring it into the Spice Trail family. Since then, we’ve been slowly working on this house, making it into a space that can offer well-thought-out experiences and pleasures.

The house has some great details that we’ve noticed in post-colonial southern manors; like rounded walls and circular air vents; we’ve been developing the space working with these characteristics, maintaining the best details of the original house. Meanwhile, we’re also bringing in new elements to the space to make it safe and more functional. We’ve been enjoying working on little details that make each room remarkable; like incorporating a found granite stone to make a sturdy footstep at an entrance; planning a skylight to flood a bathroom with tropical sunlight, or incorporating outdoor washrooms in the private courtyards to make room for some epic showering experiences. It’s just the kind of problem-solving we love to do.

We truly believe that the kitchen is the heart of a living space. So, we’re working with Big Mighty to create a kitchen that is practical, fun to work in, and makes it faster and easier for our team to get all that delicious goodness going.

Every time we visit this space, we notice how it has evolved a little more; The grass would have crept a few centimeters longer over the cement; The pile of bricks would have turned into a new wall; Another bathroom would be in place; And, we’ll be a few steps closer to opening up this new space.

What we’re really excited about this space is how it makes it possible to present a new version of the comforts and values that people found with us in Arugam Bay. Being in the southern coast, just a drive from Colombo, it presents endless opportunities for families, close-knit groups of friends, and intimate pairs to plan a quick getaway for a nice weekend together, or even just a special day that calls for a celebration. Soon it’ll all be possible here.

But, we’re in no rush; Good things take time. If you want to know more about this special place in the making, drop us a line; we’d be happy to tell you more.