Casa, Dulce Casa

Living on a Caribbean beach is easy at La Amada, a luxury condominium community on Playa Mujeres, Mexico.

BY MISTY MILIOTO

Only a few miles from tourist-packed Cancun, Mexico, Playa Mujeres features privacy, serenity, breathtaking white-sand beaches, an underwater sculpture museum and the only residential offering for those seeking a permanent getaway in this part of the Yucatan. La Amada, composed of 215 luxury condominium residences (118 are still available for sale), is located within this 930-acre master-planned resort community. With incredible views of the Caribbean Sea, an on-site marina and the lush Laguna de Chacmochuc Preserve, these tropical yet modern homes feature authentic and locally inspired design with marble flooring, lavish stone, custom wood cabinetry and high-end appliances.

The community allows owners and their guests to enjoy the advantages of a luxury beach resort without the crowds and without ever leaving home. A new 23,000-square-foot Beach Club wows, with two infinity pools leading to a private beach, posh cabanas for exclusive lounging, and a locally inspired restaurant serving up dishes like catch-of-the-day ceviche and Baja tacos. Other amenities include the Yacht Club building’s rooftop deck with a 100-foot pool, swimup bar, grilling area and hammocks; and a recently expanded, top-notch health club with state-of-the-art equipment and space for group exercise classes and yoga. Meanwhile, the Owner’s Lounge features a prep kitchen and is perfect for hosting gatherings. Parents can volley on the grass tennis courts or shoot hoops on the basketball court, while las niñas y los niños enjoy time at the 538-square-foot La Amada Kids Club. For grab-and-go bites, the Marketplace Cafe offers food, wine, an indoor coffee bar and gourmet ice cream. Additionally, ownership in the community comes with access to the Greg Norman-designed golf course at Playa Mujeres Golf Club, the Playa Mujeres Marina, lush rain forest gardens and the Mayan ruins of El Meco. The area also is home to world-class fly-fishing, kitesurfing, whale shark-watching (mid-May through September), deep sea fishing and birdwatching. Condominiums from about $340,000 to $1.5 million.

888.389.5302, laamada.com

I’ve always loved Mexico. So when I was presented with the opportunity to reimagine this villa in Cabo San Lucas, I said yes. It ended up being a gut renovation and required a lot of large-scale changes to the architecture. Although the location was amazing, it was definitely lacking in a point of view and had a serious dose of ’90s style that needed an update.

My goal with the project was to bring in more natural elements, warm woods and stone, instead of the slick glossy materials that had been chosen years before, to give it an organic feeling-a modern take on the warmth you find in classic Mexican architecture. I wanted a timeless look, but with modern flair. For instance, some of the rooms had typical Mexican colors, vibrant blues and greens, which were beautiful but felt dated, so I painted all the rooms white, and filled them with natural color palettes. For the sofas, I used a gorgeous Ralph Lauren printed fabric, which had a chic Mexican vibe. The warm tones contrasted with the whites and tied in the darker wood wall that continued from the entry into the living room.

The backyard received the largest overhaul. My clients really wanted to increase the usability of the backyard. The oceanfront property had a great view, but it had a lawn area which limited the amount of space that the family could use out there, and it was awkwardly broken up. Rounded architectural elements that hung over the deck were cut back, and a new wood overhang is level with the top of the structure, giving the area height and grandeur. I also completely changed the exterior and raised the roofline with a parapet wall. The grass lawn was replaced with wood and stone decking, and we added a huge modern bar/barbecue area for entertaining. The perimeter wall now has a wood trellis, and a large stone fireplace wall with lights glows in the evening.

I love wood, metal and stone together! For the long entry hall from the front door down to the living room, we clad one wall with wood, which contrasts nicely with the white walls and sleek tile flooring. There were frosted windows in the dining room to shield the view of the neighbor, so we added woodslatted screens to those. Wherever it felt natural to put in a wood element, we did.

The kitchen was given new life by removing the upper cabinets altogether and tiling the back wall with a warm tumbled stone. Since this kitchen had a massive amount of storage, the uppers were not really needed, especially since the family stayed in the home for only a week at a time. I stained the cabinetry darker to modernize it. The result was a kitchen that feels more open and allows for great art and stone to be the focal point, instead of excess cabinetry. We did a custom canopy to hang multiple metal mesh light fixtures, bringing in a mix of materials.

I was born to parents with green thumbs (my father was a landscape architect, my mother an avid gardener), so plants are always a huge component in any work of mine. I had a custom succulent wall done for the hallway which, of course, is right in line with the desert theme of the entire property. I continued that theme with the landscaping in the front of the house, as well, by removing the lawn and palm trees and bringing in sand and succulents and desert grasses.

This project took a year, so as one can imagine, it was quite an immersive process, to say the least. It was really great to find multiple ways to find relaxation and get the physical and mental rest I needed to complete the job.

Now the sunsets may be breathtaking, but Mother Nature is always a powerful presence. Back in 2014, Hurricane Odile completely took out the swimming pool while running her course through the Baja Peninsula, so we had to completely re-do the pool and palapa, which allowed me to change the Jacuzzi and add some fire elements out by the waterline.

I think that it’s important for any work I do to feel cohesive. Each bedroom has it’s own palette, but it’s a subtle difference from space to space. With this particular project, I kept in mind the feeling of being at a chic boutique hotel. When on vacation, I think that’s the feeling we all want, to feel swept away by an exotic location, but also peaceful and comfortable.