LOS CABOS

B A J A C A L I F O R N I A S U R / M X I C O

I sail through the blue-green waters of the divine sea.

Navego por las aguas verdes y azules del mar divino.

P H O T O G R A P H Y: R I G O B E R T O M O R E N O S A N TA N A / T E X T: C A R L O S R O S A S

Project: Rigoberto Moreno Santana Publisher: Nancy Patricia Aldrete Gonzlez Coordination and Editorial Production: Caja de Imgenes Photography: Rigoberto Moreno Santana Text: Carlos Rosas Consultant: Fernando Estrada Ruiz Art Director: Alejandro Ramos Dueas Design:

Tropical Dreams Tropical Landscape

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Bold Profile, Sublime Features Grand Mayan Los Cabos

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Unlimited Comfort Casa Melinda

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Just Clouds and Sky Casa Fryzer

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INDEX
A Breath of Paradise Casa el Sueo 224 Pale Beauty Casa G 238

The Audacity of Color Balke & Associates, an interior design firm The Leviathan and the Lady in Blue Casa Linda Vista Yearning to return Querencia

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The Seas Heartbeat Casa en el Mar

152

Jessica Robledo Guerrero Copy Editor: Juan Manuel Snchez Ocampo Trasnlation: Lucinda Mayo Editorial Supervision: Jessica Robledo Guerrero Rigoberto Moreno Flores Yusuke Susuki Print: Topppan Printing Co.

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South Seas Casa Regina

160

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The Height of Affection Casa T

168

Kaleidoscope Casa Salida del Sol

246

Built on a Grand Scale Casa la Osa

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Avant-garde Design Diaz de Luna Signature

178

Mexican Accents Surez Segu Interior Design

256

A Timeless Place Casa Baha del Sol

Copyright 2009 Nancy Patricia Aldrete Gonzlez Caja de Imgenes Mxico, Editorial Fotogrfica Bosques de Mazamitla 3 Col. Bosques de San Isidro, C.P. 45133 Zapopan, Jalisco, Mxico Phone: +52 (33) 3560.5174, 3685.0649 www.cajadeimagenes.com e-mail: info@cajadeimagenes.com, cajadeimagenes@yahoo.com

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The Art of the Borrowed Landscape George W. Girvin Associates Starry Mirror Casa Yvonne

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A Mountainside Pool Casa Colina

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A Beauty Spot on the Face of Paradise Casa del Viento Like a Rock Casa Escarpa

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Facing the Sea Casa Lolita

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, without permission in writing from the publisher. English Version: ISBN 978-970-95574-3-5 Spanish Version: ISBN 978-970-95574-2-8

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Romance, Poetry... and a Piano 208 Casa Hacienda del Amorio

Compass Rose Casa Maravilla

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PRODUCED IN MXICO / PRINTED IN CHINA

A whiter shade of pale, the deep-blue sea Casa Paulina

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Legendary El Dorado e group

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Lamps and bulbs, tubes and tiny tubs of light Casa Ciruelo

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De frente, sol y nubes, atrs mi larga sombra: crepsculo.

at my back a long shadow: twilight. In front of me sun and clouds,

Cabo Mood is a photographic journey through the architecture, interiors and landscapes that grace Los Cabos; it
is also a dialogue with the professionals whose hands have wrought the creative settings we visit. Caja de Imgenes produced this book with passion, backed by firm purpose and innovation; to delve deeply into and touch the distinctive atmosphere that now pervades this region. Cabos has taken on its own mythic stature as a destination because its very essence is extraordinary: and thats how we portray it. In asking about mood we venture into complexity; by definition it loves ambiguity, and defies sharp lines. Here we explore the built environment, as its widely called, to show what it encapsulates: easy living amidst beauty and refinement. These homes are made for relaxation, love and social occasions the raw materials of friendship. And all upon a well-lit stage; a paradise of lush, spirited nature: Los Cabos. The pages of Cabo Mood present no hard-and-fast pronouncements; instead they wonder: how to describe the overwhelming feelings called up by dream mansions, gently set into a magical seascape? In any case, Rigoberto Morenos exceptionally fine photography will be what introduces us to this mood that makes Los Cabos one-of-akind. Here in this compilation of images the subtlest marvels take shape, and we are invited to view the work of Balke & Associates, Casa Paulina, Diaz de Luna Signature and Surez Segu Interior Designs; firms that have created countless fine residential interiors in Los Cabos. The tour continues through imaginative work by e group, noble landscape design by George W. Girvin Associates and Tropical Landscape; professional teams who bless these properties with handsome greenery. The doors then open onto the Querencia Residential Community, Casa Fryzer and Casa Ciruelo. And our journey doesnt come to a close until weve thoroughly explored the magnificent architectural projects of AHA Universo, ARKCO Architecture and Building, Cota Architects, MALVER Construction Management, DYC Design and Construction, IDS Integrated Development Services, MCA Design and Construction, Monroy Architects and VIMAR Contractors. The photography for Cabo Mood took place between June and August, 2009: at the same time, Carlos Rosas interviewed all the professionals who made this book possible. Their gracious and far-ranging answers are the life and breath of these essays, and the words quoted throughout these pages are theirs. What Cabo Mood has discovered is here for all to see: if any questions remain, Caja de Imgenes suggests you may find the answers to any of your conundrums at 225252.27 North latitude, in Los Cabos.

How to describe the sound of a wave crashing? Impossible: just listen.

Cmo describir el sonido de la ola cuando rompe? Imposible, escchalo.

Joyful pool, clad in Prussian blue.

Gozosa alberca recubierta de azul Prusia.

Escuchas? Slo el viento.

Are you listening? Its just the wind.

Mood:

Humor, disposicin, atmosphere. State of mind, disposition, atmsfera.

The sun departs, the ocean is resoundingly calm, my spirit lifts: Ill wait for the celestial vault to swing open.
El sol se va, el aplomo del ocano es rotundo y mi espritu se recoge, esperar a que abra la bveda celeste.

225252.27
North Latitude
La casa necesaria, el mar vital.
The house is necessary; the sea, vital.
The desert is calling: the saguaro cactus are warriors that urge me on, and chollas are the armor protecting me. My patient brothers the puma and falcon show me the way. In the silence, the whistling wind fortifies me. I take wings and fly: Im the breeze over whales and shimmering schools of fish. Im grilled food with fine wine, the candle glowing on a loving gesture. Im exercise, adventure, a boat, riches, the best music; I never weary of all this. Im flower-scents in the garden, a golf courses expanse of green lawn; Im massage, laughter, a kiss, an embrace. Im the firelight on a night of mysteries, an embroidered edging, an exquisite view. Im scorched sand; Im cool wet at the edge of the sea. Im lust for life to its fullest; they call me Los Cabos.

Tropical Dreams
Tropical Landscape Alejandro Velasco Cano, Landscape Architect Landscape Design San Jos del Cabo DYC Diseos y Construccioes R R C: Villas Oasis Lots 8 and 9 VIMAR, Contractors: Casa del Viento

Alejandro Velascos San Jos del Cabo nursery is guarded by Polo, a young Great Dane whose stylized physique -- towering, massive, with a formidable jaw has caused more than one visitor to tremble. Ducks, a goose and a family of peacocks all march to the sound of his husky bark which, for the moment, is even more unsettling than the fierce carnivorous calm of Oscar, a crocodile that was a gift to Alejandro. As a seedling may suggest the glory of the full-grown tree, so Tropical Landscapes nursery gives just an indication of what a seasoned landscape architect can do. As you enter, a vision appears: a variety of trees ready to grow into fabulous green reveries. But, who is behind this verdant alchemy? Alejandro Velasco, astute, athletic, was born in Cuauhtmoc, Chihuahua and lived in Guadalajara while studying architecture: then, in one of lifes sudden directional changes, he arrived twenty-one years ago in Los Cabos. Here hes continuously, systematically nurtured a business that is invaluable to the built environment, achieving wonders by never skimping on those details that most reflect tropical nature. In his handsome office, Alejandro confidently tells us, If you put them in exactly the right place, plants are always appreciative and they always put forth their lushest greenery.
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Velasco draws his precise designs by the light of Los Cabos noontime sun: a stranger to delays, always punctual with clients, he leaves nothing to chance. Seizing opportunities is everything: knowing that his rigorous sense of responsibility is the only key to his success he captains his crew strictly, but with a generous spirit. He knows that his teams well-being is all important when his dreams, and those of his clients, are at stake. And yet, to this basic formula Alejandro adds one primal ingredient, the unique essence that transforms it: passion for his calling is a lifelong passion, so his labors are never onerous, but constant pleasure. Here is the personal secret that, while obvious, nobody ever sees. Alejandro daydreams, and through his creativity imagined pleasures take shape. I enjoy what I do so much that its not work: not many in this world are able to say that. In Los Cabos, Tropical Landscapes repertoire is almost endless; each job done according to quality standards that are seldom seen anywhere. Among this wide-ranging catalogue are many commissions that stand out, as a splash of brightlycolored bougainvillea does against a stone wall.

Vegetation transformation
A highway cuts through the desert; dry sandy landscape, scrubby chaparral with leafless stalks, a sedentary community that conserves its rainwater for six days at a time, a congregation of silent phantoms; wise plants unafraid of the peninsular sun, the dry geography between two seas. Hot, pale, rippling topography with no cool air currents; summer turning everything to powder, yellow and gray blending into dim earth. And yet, life. The road from San Jos del Cabo to La Ribera, on the Gulf of California. Casa del Viento doesnt announce itself. After a long journey youre suddenly there, as if coming out of an endless maze; behind you, far behind, the sturdy thistles are there to remind you of your eventual departure. Then a line of cacti at the foot of a long wall, a divider built in sections because of the uneven terrain, are the only signs of the hideaway youve come to see. Alejandro Velasco has designed Casa del Vientos interior landscape to effectively soften the surrounding harshness. The homes front door panels fly open and, standing on the green carpet of the entryway, you glimpse the

ocean just a few steps away. Instantly you forget the road in, as a dialogue of shapes and colors unfurls before your eyes. You breathe deeply, not from exertion but from contentment. To the right stretches the lawn, with a circular pool surrounded by rounded stones, a forest of white accents framing its depths. The view continues on, along a large wall that opens in the middle to display an orchard. To the left a triangular patch is full of cactus: cardn or saguaro, maguey, biznaga or barrel cactus, and aloe. Across from it, a line of well-spaced date palms runs parallel to the houses pergola entrance. Alejandro Velasco says that the main challenge in creating a garden is accentuating what Mother Nature can do, and try to imitate it. Thus, he sets a small solitary bench behind the pool, hidden from most sightlines, and surrounds it with the lushest flowers in all the garden. Like a rock on a riverbank it promotes meditation, to the cadence of water sounds. Ever attentive to his clients, Alejandro drew upon experience to locate the garden orchard they asked for, behind a wall to protect it from the strong winds and assure survival for vegetables, herbs and spices as well as fruit trees.

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Earths own miracle, to be able to grow such fresh tasty foodstuffs as watermelon, papaya, pomegranate, oranges, limes, basil, rosemary, chiles, tomatoes and corn! Beauty appears everywhere, with not one building finish untouched by it; even the most functional elements have balance and harmony. This explains the extraordinary array heralding the homes entrance: a small garden with a distinct personality, an artistic composition of maguey, yuccas and stone contrasting with the central personalities of this living canvas, which are a twisted elephant tree and spindly artichoke thistle. A n o t h e r Tr o p i c a l L a n d s c a p e commission appears further north, to cool the red desert between La Ribera and La Paz. The development is called El Gran Sueo and is located in Baha de los Sueos (Bay of Dreams), a name to suggest the wild shape-shifting that occurs here. For his contribution to the landscape Alejandro Velasco simulated a tropical ravine, with two terraced pools united by a waterfall, flowing into a large pool or a small lake. The relationship between this and the rest of the landscape is not unsettling

quite the opposite. It allows continuity with the rest of the gardens, also designed by Velasco. Ascending and descending this tropical ravine by its terraced walkway or via its pools and crystalline streams is truly a timeless journey into the perennial rainforest, and even the captive plants of the fullgrown garden live in a microclimate that no one would ever want to leave. Alejandro spells out what he did here:
This being desert, a hilly no-mans-land, the concept was to create a more tropical setting. We went in search of all the rocks that make up the streams and cascades, trying to arrange them so artlessly that it would seem as if nature had broken through. The most important ones were those for the waterfalls, which had to be of definite shapes: others were complementary to the visual spectacle and placed so one could enjoy sitting on them, in the agreeable shade of all the palm trees. The plants have to work well with those in the natural streams, usually broader-leafed varieties like purple pandanus, with iris and bougainvillea for color.

Where the ravine ends at the lake, the tropical view is lush green, crowned by the sharp fronds of date and Washingtonian or fan palms: a tangled jungle in the desert, the plant diversity rounded out by ficus, bay laurel, ornamental papyrus and lilies.

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While the Baha de los Sueos landscaping is tropical, Alejandro Velasco also achieves striking results when he faces the challenge of communing with the desert. In Oasis, a section of the Palmilla community, hes working on two model homes whose gardens are examples of plants blending in with the environment. He says:
The concept is semi-desert for the outside areas, and more tropical around the pool. We are handling a lot of desert material. The clients gave me an image of the view they wanted from golf course toward the houses, and it featured a lot of rocks, movement, lawns and desert plants. I think weve risen the challenge () and its wound up being something really natural.

(Java plum), with examples of barrel cactus and cardn (saguaro) planted here and there. From a distance, the view encompasses everything from the golf course to the homes front yards, getting lost in the details of agave and other cacti. But what stand out are large rock formations and trees: leafy plums, Baja elephant trees, palo blanco and palo verde. What we see then is a row of trees and rocks outlining the well-trimmed lawn. Alejandro Velasco concludes:
The end result is as highly gratifying for the owners as it is for me. In each project we take on I have to be 100% convinced that Ill like being able to meet the owners needs, and I really like being able to say done!; because everything, each one of the rocks and cacti and trees, is part of the design. Theres a reason for the form and placement of the rocks: if you see some that are flatter, more integrated into the lawn, the objective is to create a pleasant spot for the residents to sit at any given moment.

One of the benefits of these gardens is that they are not circumscribed or housebound, but flow forth from the built environment to become part of nature because of the primarily regional plant species that are used in this expansive design. Cholla, a cactus native to the Baja California desert, plays a major role in these gardens. Undervalued because of its bulbous stalks guarded by long sharp spines, very aggressive, as Alejandro says, here large groups of it are lined up between prickly pears and aloes. Other plants featured in the gardens layout are yucca, maguey, pitaya, ocotillo (prairie tea) and lomboy

If the landscaping for the Oasis model homes speaks the same language as the desert, the work Tropical Landscape did at Casa de vila, in the Querencia community, is the opposite of desert but with the same merits of quality design and surprising suitability. At Casa de vila the tropical theme doesnt just speak it shouts out loud.

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One important feature of the project arose when the client requested a fullgrown garden, with mature blooms and lushness that wouldnt mean waiting the months or even years that young plants need to show off their splendor. The owners constant participation and supervision put Tropical Landscapes technical abilities to the test. The results exceed expectations. The exterior garden has a mixed layout, meeting Querencias guidelines as well as the clients needs: a solution that brings together cacti and maguey plants with poinciana trees and green lawn. Passing through the entrance gate, reaching the house means climbing a curved incline along a beautifully kept walkway. To its right is a continuous row of black olives, and to its left a terraced line of bougainvillea, mandevilla, turks cap, carissa and purple pandanus. Following this ascent, our second impression makes all our senses forget the desert dryness: across from the house stretches a huge hill covered in potentilla, or cinquefoil. This sight may have said it all, but there are still charms to be seen within.

On the grand terrace, with the ocean behind us, the view of the interior faade frames two long beautifully planted walkways which end up at the house. To the right, there is a serenely balanced arrangement whose main features are a tabachn (poinciana or flame tree) and a ficus surrounded by sago palms, with white-blooming Hawaian plumeria completing the array. Along the opposite walkway, by circling low walls one reaches a lovely interior garden where privacy encourages rest and retreat; its quiet elements are a fountain, a low bench in the shade of two hibiscus, and a ponytail palm that twists toward the sunlight. Finally, Casa de vila has many details and graceful adornments, from small flowering gardens at the junctures of walls, to myriad fruit trees mango, grapefruit, banana planted amid the walkways.

Synthesis
The two decades that Alejandro Velasco has lived in Los Cabos have been long enough to turn an enterprising young man into an artist of tropical dreams.

An artist of tropical dreams

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His countless landscaping commissions in the regions prestigious subdivisions always allude to his role of bringing clients desires to life in their gardens. Looking ahead, Alejandro remarks:
At Tropical Landscape were moving ahead, and well continu e to be a small business that pays attention to details. We always want to be the best, to enjoy being able to offer high quality, prompt work and above all, a service-oriented attitude. We want to make every garden a dream, each client a friend and each job a source of satisfaction.

which synthesizes his concepts of landscaping. A trim array of palms stands out against striking color accents, creating pleasant harmony. The layout of the terrace is another highlight, as it takes full advantage of a gorgeous bay view. The pool is adorned with waterfalls spouting from between rocks, and a boy riding an elephant, one of the architects signature aesthetic images, appears from a wall fountain framed in profuse foliage. Alejandro Velasco enjoys social life, and friends are important; he also likes getting to know the world and so he travels, but above all he is a family man, father to three children he loves and nurtures. Entering his house one passes into a private family zone and while the family is not much different from many others, their habitat is notable: orderly without being unduly disciplined. Alejandro is proud of his three offspring, insisting his daughter and two sons get good grades: he encourages success with wellplanned liberties, enriched by travel. Tropical Landscape is a firm that makes tropical dreams come true, and Alejandros family is the driving force behind a man who loves nature.

One of Tropical Landscapes outstanding features is its policy of keeping costs down without sacrificing quality, much less creativity. Many of the plants they use are grown in their own nursery. They maintain their gardens so that the original design is preserved even when the plants reach maturity. They also cultivate species that require low moisture and little irrigation, which minimizes water use. In a brief walk through the nursery we have seen the most select examples of Tropical Landscapes production and Alejandro Velascos handiwork, but we shouldnt neglect his home,

Unlimited Comfort

Casa Melinda 2007 San Jos del Cabo, El Dorado Constructora MALVER, Architecture and Construction Miguel ngel Arce Lpez Velarde, Civil Engineer President Federico Guillermo Martnez Garca, Architect Director Carlos Gilberto Lira lvarez, Architect Director of Custom Homes Brenco Design, Interior Designer Cabo Systems/Ultimate Controls, Media Systems Iluminacin Planeada, Lighting Design Tropical Landscape, Landscape Design

MALVER is a construction company with twenty-five years of continuous work in the architectural and building field. Born in Los Cabos long before the town grew into the international resort it is today, the firms vast experience, its reputation for seriousness and professionalism and the wide variety and versatility of its services mean that it is often contracted for projects in the regions most prestigious developments. As a notable example from MALVERS extensive catalogue of projects, Casa Melinda clearly expresses the firms vision. Built upon two spectacular lots facing the sea and provided with every resource for offering limitless comfort and functional elegance, this is a grand estate. Those fortunate enough to visit its spacious and beautifully-finished rooms are always reluctant to leave. The clear architectural mandate, to skillfully meet the clients many requisites, included all the rooms in the social realm and service areas, along with a winecellar, office, gym, family rooms and six bedrooms. In conscientious response to its residential communitys design and

building requirements, Casa Melinda has a discreet, thoroughly charming entry faade whose surprisingly fine details assure us that every corner of the house will be equally delightful. Once inside, it may seem for a minute as though weve journeyed to another place entirely, because the interior is so grand: with doors and windows closed, one might think theyre in a provincial Mexican or Tuscan country home, but the open-air reality of an estate overlooking seascapes like these is even more sublime. Brilliant architectural and structural solutions address all the residents needs, not just in terms of number of rooms and their arrangement but also by including such specific elements as a circular module, and high quality finish details throughout. Floors blend new and restored materials to create a luxurious sense of permanence for the home. In several of the upstairs baths, tiny mosaics form stylized garlands whose texture is a sensory delight from head to toe, from their visual attraction to the way they caress bare feet. Another of Casa Melindas magnificent details is its fireplaces, one in the

great room and another holding court on the terrace. Inside, the hearth is surrounded by huge pieces of quarry stone and topped with a triangular mantel; it seems to shelter a sacred flame. Outside, the grand fireplace is crafted of local stone, with gorgeous lines and finishes: its size doubles when we look behind it to see the grill and oven; there to provide residents with boundless culinary delights. If the interiors are both comfortable and sybaritic, the estates terrace, with pool and jacuzzi overlooking the ocean, is the very definition of pleasure. Casa Melinda is a family home that has everything, including the magic gift of inspiring happiness in everyone who sees it. Finally, knowing full well that a few brief lines will never do justice to all its charms, well summarize: Casa Melinda is one-of-a-kind. O n - s i t e t e s t s w e re taken at every turn, with craftsmanlike dedication; all its finishes are custom-made; and the most sophisticated automated technology has been incorporated into its information, audio and video systems.

All its finishes are custom-made

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The Audacity of Color

Balke & Associates, An Interior Design Firm Aida P. Balke-Rivera, Interior Designer Kelley Rivera-Balke, Interior Designer San Jos del Cabo

Aida Balke is warm, earnest and goodnatured, with a smile to lift even the dreariest mood. Thats just who she is: by nature and profession she turns any severe or muted space into a vivid ambience, characterized by intelligence and high spirits. A member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), Aida has also been certified by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ). Born in Costa Rica, with a Costa Rican mother and Dutch father, Aida Balke enjoys her fusion of nationalities for the way they color her experience, and how she learns from both. Her mother was a fashion designer, so Aidas taste for textiles developed at an early age. Her father was an engineer, and her grandfather an architect: so she came to know construction and design, developing an ability to understand mass and volume and how they affect
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daily life; how their psychology can favor expansive feelings, calm and comfort. Her father considered his firstborn an eldest son, and from Aidas earliest childhood brought her to his building sites. Destinys alchemy also shows up in the fact that her paternal uncles were involved in producing Delft pottery, an inheritance that aids her In her innovative kitchen and bath designs. Her love for Mexico began with her delight in its ceramics particularly talavera, as she lost herself in hours of raptly exploring that distinctive style of majolica in its home state of Puebla:
If theres one thing I can say about myself, its that Im a student of the world around me: Im always looking at things and asking myself how I might reinterpret them. Because I dont believe theres anything that hasnt already been invented so my ability as a designer is to take a setting and rework it in ways that are creative and canny.

Together with her daughter and partner Kelley, she is energized by challenges, and experimentation seems to be her code word. She has no interest in duplicating existing patterns and if not devising something new, she says, the simple truth is that I get bored. Like her father did, Aida has offered her daughter the profession they now share: from the time she was little Kelley went with her to offices and building sites, helping to prepare maquettes and client presentations. As a partner, Kelley has developed a tremendous feel for textiles, Aida notes, with admiration for her daughters promising career.

Balke & Associates is a boutique firm, so they take on no more than six projects per year: for each, Aida and Kelley aim to expand their repertoire. This is a clear-cut proposition, for they understand that each client represents a whole new world. They keep no inventory of furniture or fabric, nor have they any desire to be involved in sales because they work so closely, on such a case-by-case basis, they custom-order for each clients needs.
In fact, we usually we take on only four or five jobs a year, because we both like our work to be hands-on. There are two more designers in our office, but we are the ones to manage the designs

which is partly why I love color: it changes from house to house, and the fashionable hues are different from year to year, so there are always lots of new options.

Speaking of challenges, Balke & Associates is very clear about what its niche is: clients who come to live in Los Cabos. These are people whove had worldly success, who are drawn to this region by the ocean or the golf courses, and theyre notably demanding Type A, we might say. But they may not yet comprehend the essential features of a Latin American country, where life is somewhat more tranquil, with less pressure, and there might be some culture shock when new residents want to move at their accustomed pace:
() then the designers job is to calm them down, assuring them that not everything may turn out exactly the way they expect, but the unexpected Latin touches are going to delight them. When first meeting clients, we basically introduce them to what life is like here in Los Cabos, letting them know what they can anticipate from us in terms of making their house a home. That may be an especially romantic idea, because this is where they come to relax; its not their work habitat. Some adapt very well, and others arent quite so resilient; our task is to create an environment for them thats high-quality, and lovely, where theyll be perfectly at ease .

In Los Cabos, Aidas reputation was made at Villas del Mar: she then founded Balke & Associates, which has since worked on the most prominent local residential communities Querencia, Puerto Los Cabos and El Dorado, to name just a few. Her style ranges widely: in Mexico, among those in the know, shes recognized for her traditional designs; while in the U.S. shes famous for her contemporary, very Fifth Avenue, outlook.
I think a designer should be flexible, because ultimately its not about what I do but what the client really wants, and thats the challenge. I always hope to create something distinctive,

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Life without color is like a morning with no coffee impossible!

Being from Costa Rica, Aida Balke is fascinated by Mexicos folkloric arts; textiles and ceramics whose colors, art and artisanry captivate her:
Mexico has so many attractions for me, which is why we work at reinterpreting all its folkore, presenting it to U.S. clients in ways they can truly appreciate. Life without color is like a morning with no coffee impossible!

The Leviathan and the Lady in Blue

Casa Linda Vista 2006 San Jos del Cabo, Lomas de la Jolla Ivn Cota Lpez, Architectural Design Arquitectos Cota S.C. ARQCO, Construction Tropical Landscape, Landscape Design

From above, it looks imposing forty feet long, maybe fifty. Light flashing in its crystal eyes, it magnificently breaches the surface, forced upward by its huge tail then somersaults for an instant before disappearing into salty seafoam. This playfulness: a mating dance, perhaps? Swimming and diving tirelessly despite having traveled thousands of miles, there it is honoring heredity, the miracle of life, survival across the millennia. Humpback Whale: benevolent monster, fantastic dark-skinned cetacean with clean pale belly, perfect seafarer, big talker whose sounds go beyond sonar, Yubarta of the prodigious fins your grace distinguishes you from the others; you are incomparable. Leap again! I want to be awed by your behemoth beauty! Where are you? Careful, Humpback the Orcas fierce bite, a harpoon to the head, could be fatal but if you survive, you could live seventy years, or even longer.

Clearly this is a whale, but of what ancestry? Blue maybe, or Gray, a Right Whale or, as we mused, a Humpback? It could be one of the baleens, Common, Minke or Sie; but whos to know? Clearing up this mystery may not matter, because its presence here in the garden pays homage to all whales. The large rib bone rests upon wrought iron supports, nearly touching the pool which seems ready to make sure that this skeletal vestige not miss the cool of the sea. Yes, that seems why the pools been placed here, though the correspondence may be overlooked by those who are simply enjoying a refreshing dip. This whalebone, shaded by two guardian palm trees, greets friends and family; anyone with the good fortune to frequent La Jollas Casa Linda Vista. The Leviathans bones murmur to the Calaca. In the vestibule of the route to the great room, there she is dressed in blue, posing discreetly so as not to disturb, but present, ever-present. We cant hear their dialogue, but we know theyre sharing their impressions of Casa Linda Vista. The Lady in Blue, with her elegant chapeau, cant stop raving about the interior balconies overlooking

the living room, one across from the other; extensions of the second-floor bedroom windows. Could she be envying those who look down from above? Would she like to perch her pale skeleton up there and address the people gathered below? Or, would she prefer to wander away from the balconies and stroll haughtily across the bridge between the bedrooms, tapping bony fingers on wrought iron railings? Ironwork is a definite motif at Casa Linda Vista: from the balcony railings to the two grand candelabra suspended from the roof, from a pair of welcoming armchairs on the terrace to the curved tripods supporting the whales rib, from the main entrys metal appliqu to the fence running along the property line. Casa Linda Vista has all the necessary elements to make it a truly commodious home. The blueprint is one of harmonic spaces, each encouraging relaxation. For example, the patio: with its central quarry stone fountain, it provides a transition between the street and the interior.

A few steps further and we reach the hall that leads into every part of the house, beginning with the doubleheight great room that connects all the other areas. Next, of course, the terrace and pool. Looking into the house from the street, the doors open onto a view of the garden, just before you lose yourself in the sea: there are no walls to block the panorama. Passing from room to room, indoors to out, is effected through unobtrusive levels, ending at a low retaining wall. The terrace affably accomodates a gas fire pit and grill area, a jacuzzi adjoining the pool, and a green stretch of lawn. The need for shade is solved by slim quarry stone columns supporting a roof, which on the upper floor becomes a fabulous viewing deck or mirador. Ivn Cota, the projects architect, points out all the reasons for the owners approval of the finished

house, and also salutes their good taste. Affinity between a builder and contented homeowners doesnt just happen its a series of skillful responses to residents wants and needs, like a third bedroom on the first floor, an outdoor guest room, an office, a bar. In his own words, Ivn Cotas professional philosophy is all about rising to the architectural challenge of giving non-architect clients a place theyll always enjoy. And yet, the architect doesnt know about those other clients who thoroughly enjoy the world hes built at Casa Linda Vista. Left alone, they come alive and take up their favorite pastimes: the Calaca, elegant in blue, silently treads the quarry stone floors, while the ghostly whale peers through a triptych of windows framing the immense ocean, with its ineffable horizon.

The Lady in Blue, with her elegant chapeau

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Yearning to return
Querencia, A Private Golf Club and Residential Community San Jos del Cabo Jorge Carrera, Engineer CEO, Querencia Group Arturo Ponce de Len, Architect Architecture and Design Center, Querencia Group Oasis Landscaping, Landscape Design

Querencia. A sophisticated and palatial community in the desert, a dialogue between nature and design: extravagance and moderation, adaptive technology, entrepreneurial vision; spirit-stars in the night sky, dazzling birds reflected in gleaming windows; an open road to paradise, blessed by the sun the wonders of Los Cabos. Jorge Carrera is Querencias youthful and affable general director. With steady gaze and assurance, he describes this residential community whose name reflects a yearning for the comforts of home:
Querencias history is very interesting. From the beginning its been a very special place, a noble project. While there have been challenges, and others have tried unsuccessfully to imitate its spirit, it has always occupied a thoroughly unique place in Los Cabos. Querencia will keep growing as a development that guards several basic principles: among them, the wide selection of properties it offers, its ongoing regard for nature and coexistence with its splendid landscape. Our goal is to avoid any environmental impact that would change the essence of our surroundings: ultimately, we are in the desert, and were proud to show our respect and admiration for nature.

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Put into action, this means that Carrera and his team of specialists have managed to make Querencia as green as possible: building their own water treatment facilities and nurseries, composting to nurture the developments gardens, and pre-planning construction to rescue indigenous flora so that each desert plant can also have its own new home. These approaches turn out to be cost-effective, as well as environmentally friendly. The feeling that accompanies us as we tour Querencia is one of expansiveness: achieved through low-density zoning that sets aside considerable open space, as well as careful architectural review of residential design. The main goal is to live in harmony with the ecosystem, which is why the community also sets precise building guidelines, and encourages use of the most natural materials. Querencias architecture and landscaping most notably reflect their desert context: tropical vegetation is restricted to interior zones, with just a touch of exterior planting to serve as a glowing transition into the desert landscape. Querencias architectural philosophy is more about poise than grandiosity. Architect Arturo Ponce, head of the Design Center, explains:
Querencias architecture, and that of its various communities, are distillations of millennial design and

construction elements which have proven to be both timeless and functional. These serve as very important inspirations when embarking upon new projects; for current designs that boast their own identities, within their own environmental context. High-quality, characteristically Mexican artisanry is apparent in all the meticulous details that make these residences so expressive, and truly valuable. Architectural solutions like passageways and patios, arcades and fountains offer coolness and sanctuary from stark climatic conditions; which are so necessary to homes built into the desert. Querencia eschews any unnecessary ornamentation, and extensively uses such primal materials as hand-selected clay and quarry stone, adobe and natural rocks that appear to be native to the land from which each home rises. All of this provides an analogy to the simplicity of the desert itself.

Who lives at Querencia? People of refinement, surely, seeking quality in every sense of the word, beginning with a safe and serene quality of life; knowledgeable people desiring an optimal, first-class residence. Jorge Carrera adds:
Our clients are thoroughly exacting, accustomed to acquiring the very best, and they recognize the real value of a unique lifestyle.

The residents are successful people who find that Baja California Surs fabulous climate, its lovely beaches and desert, incredible golf courses and sport fishing; are theirs at Querencia a community to complement Los Cabos status as a world-class destination.
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Querencias clients are offered a variety of possibilities. One is land: level, unlandscaped building lots with great views of desert and ocean, mountain and ravine; steep lots atop the mountain, some with 360-degree views; in various sizes, of 2000, 5000 or 8000 square meters. On a recently-purchased parcel there are studies under way for subdividing several ranch- or farm-style lots, of 10,000-20,000 square meters each: this would be an innovative offering for clients who want even more space. The second line of real estate products is finished properties: Cabaas, threebedroom condominiums with amazing views of the golf course or San Jos Bay; Club Villas, units of three, four and sometimes even five bedrooms on lots of 1000 to 1500 square meters, whose great attraction is their proximity to the clubhouse. Also on offer are variations of the villas in an area called Las Caadas, sited to directly overlook one of Querencias most beautiful ravines: these have views of San Jos Bay, and are built on lots ranging from 1000 to 1600 square meters. Finally there are the Haciendas, with 2000 to 4000 square meters of land: custom properties made to order for each client, on level or sloping ground, at 200 meters (650 feet) above sea level; with spectacular ocean views.

All of these properties come with a whole range of resident services, as Querencia is equipped to meet any homeowner need. Jorge Carrera explains that:
The intention is for Querencia residents to come and enjoy not only what this community offers, but all the glories of Los Cabos: to shed any worries over the everyday details of caring for their home. Our Property Management team takes care of managing service accounts, maintenance and upkeep; as well as organizing events, providing concierge service and pet care, or any other needs or wants our residents may have during their stay in Los Cabos.

t h e i d e a l juxtaposition. Homes and golf course live symbiotically, without intruding upon one anothers territory. A golfers experience on this course is distinctive: privacy amidst manmade grandeur, as well as the adventure of dramatic terrain. The course is thoroughly professional; magnificently laid out, impeccably maintained. Everything is conscientiously planned so that amateur and recreational golfers will enjoy practicing their game; while professionals can face all the competitive of the eighteenhole course. Querencias was a professional golf course from the very start; the first built in Mexico by Tom Fazio, an acclaimed designer whose courses are among the best in the world. Tom founded his own firm in Florida in 1972: he is a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA)

Querencia and golf

Walking around Querencia, its apparent that its founders believed the essence of golf should be preserved as a sport, separate from residential life. But they also saw the course as a real attraction for real estate development, so they devised

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and his professional portfolio includes 120 golf courses many of them listed among the top 100 in the U.S. He has thrice been named Best Modern Day Golf Course Architect by Golf Digest magazine, and in 1995 he received the Old Tom Morris prize, which is the highest recognition given by the U.S. Golf Course Superintendents Association. Fazio puts it this way: When I first saw the Querencia project, then explored the Los Cabos landscape, I knew this was an extraordinary setting for world-class golf.

nature will always be a very important factor, summarizes Jorge Carrera. The future is clear. The clubhouse, golf course and residential zones, as well as projects that are just getting under way a second golf course, an equestrian center and beach club, a holistic-style retreat for those wanting to get closer to earth, air, water, fire and spirit all will continue to respect their surroundings by adhering to the basic goals of this one-of-a-kind Los Cabos development. Querencia. My heart is with you and I yearn to breathe your clean fresh air. Wrapped in your pale lineaments, your golden depths and rosy hills; I live outside time. Querencia, Ill always return to your pleasure-dome skies; with you as my compass, I can never lose my way. Querencia, energized by exploring your steep trails, I welcome the warmth of your embrace.

Whats next
Leaving the highway and noise behind, entering the deserts tranquility, looking up at magnificent stars in the night skies, sharing a community vision, having quality services. Querencia is a peaceful place, and our bond with

Leaving the highway and noise behind, entering the deserts tranquility

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Built on a Grand Scale

Casa la Osa 2008 San Jos del Cabo, Querencia Antonio Carrera, Architectural Design MCA Proyecto y Construccin, Construction Surez Segu, Interior Design Oasis Landscaping, Landscape Design

From the desert road, Casa la Osa appears in all its grandeur: then a long driveway, edged at night by luminarias, leads to the motor lobby, a car-breezeway whose circular form, with a small turn-around in the middle, facilitates coming and going and access to the main entrance, the guest and service quarters. To construct this glorieta a slice was taken from the base of the lots own hill a solution that not only created needed surface area, but yielded a natural wall, impressive in both size and bold aesthetic impact. The homes faade, in accordance with Querencias overall style, is of mortarless fitted stone: the impression is of a rustic but solidly elegant manor house.

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Once inside the home, one immediately perceives two evocative sense-stimuli: the smell of wood, particularly cedar, and the sheer height of the central living area, its master rafter rising 33 feet above the floor. Carrera, the architect, explains:
The scale of the house is monumental, as this was our major goal. We took advantage of there being no building lot behind us, which meant many fewer restrictions than on other projects. () Precisely because of the scale, our work was all about playing with different elevations and overhead features; here a handkerchiefvaulted dome, there a peaked roof...

Among the structural details that reinforce the architects words, embodying his intelligent use of beauty to banish monotony, are two glistening walls in the passageway to the guestrooms. These quartz-clad rectangular waterfalls are framed by small lightbulbs; another bit of visual whimsy is the third watery wall, this time of dark marble, set into the master bedrooms hallway.

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Casa la Osas social skills manifest themselves in the guest quarters: five bedrooms with all due privacy, each with its own full bath and wondrous exterior views; but also with an interior landing that serves as a communal game and television room. The owners zest for convivial time with friends is reaffirmed in other parts of the house as well. The large kitchen with its double work island, ovens, refrigerators and winecellar would please the most exigent and exuberant chef; while in the dining area discerning gourmands await refined and toothsome dishes. On the terrace, al fresco gastronomic pleasures are also on the menu. Casa la Osas large building lot is what allows such a generous terrace, and its location guarantees a matchless, almost 180-degree view. At certain times of the year, both dawn and

sunset are visible making this the estates most spectacular, and most utilized, vantage point. To the left of the house one can see the ocean; in front and to the right, an endless vision of rippling desert heights splashed with greenery, mirages that are actually the Querencia and Palmilla golf courses. Manmade metamorphoses create a dream landscape, though you simply need to fix your eyes on the horizon to re-connect with reality. Along with pool and jacuzzi, grill, fire pit, and two bars, the terrace has a roofed area sheltering two lounge, two dining areas and the palapa. This is absolutely the most leisurely and agreeable part of the house, with plenty of breathing room and just the right distanc e f o r a p p re c i a t i n g n o t o n l y t h e grandeur of the house, but the splendor of Los Cabos.

While Casa la Osas architectural feats appear everywhere we look, the pool scores a 10 for its infinity pool with no structural interruption at all, it visually extends the horizon. The garden, another highlight, discreetly accentuates the terrace and the built environment in general, with its own fresh-air finery. Viewed from the interior faade, the home creates an impression of assured grace and distinguished bearing thanks to dark-toned quarry stone columns, the segmented arches supporting them, and artisans touches in painted plasterwork, ceiling tiles and carpentry. By turning his experienced hands to this project, architect Antonio Carrera was able to create a panoply of domestic comforts for his clients all without disturbing the bears who live here in the wild.

At certain times of the year, both dawn and sunset are visible

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A Timeless Place
Casa Baha del Sol 2008 San Jos del Cabo, Querencia Lorenia Riva Palacio, Architect Luis Ral Romo Carrillo, Civil Engineer DYC Diseos y Construcciones R R C, Architecture and Construction Ticia lvarez, Interior Designer Tropical Landscape, Landscape Design

What kind of client does the DYC Design and Construction firm work with? Honest, hard-working people, with strong feelings for this region: great people, says architect Lorenia Riva Palacio. Because of the mutual regard between home buyers, architects, engineer and designer, it is natural for warm relationships to develop: with the passage of time these become full-blown friendships. And indeed because of its professionalism, the DYC team enjoys a loyal client base that includes the owner of Baha de Sol, along with the satisfied homeowners of seven other residences the company has built.
Since 1999, we have constructed eight homes with the same architect and builder. It has been an adventure for both of us. We think all the houses turned out spectacularly, but this one is our favorite.
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The layout of this home demonstrates all the teams design and building abilities. The initial plan for the lot had a limited view of the sea, so half the mountain had to be removed in order to create the building site. In the architects words every lot is buildable, so the challenge was to create a wonderful view of Punta Gorda, a rock formation at one end of San Jos Bay. From the terrace, the sight lines would also provide a panorama of the city at night. In addition to those construction difficulties, whats entailed in building ones eighth residential commission? Many factors, of course, but the main one was to design a living space that stood out from the others, a home that would feel like their very own to the new owners so theyd want to live there, not re-sell it. To achieve that, the architect studied previouslydeveloped projects until she found the essence of what she wanted for this new residence.

Here at Baha del Sol, DYCs landscape plan has been beautifully realized, and their initial vision is apparent from the terrace, with its impressive panorama of San Jos Bay culminating exactly at Punta Gorda. Sunset, that tireless artist, adds its own indescribable beauties to the scene. While it is enjoyed all day long, at nightfall Baha del Sol can be savored like a fine, full-bodied wine. Starting at the entrance, the illumination highlights architectural and botanical details: the torches offering immediate warmth as they guide our steps, the patio fountain bathed in gold, and the palm trees standing guard at the front door. The entire estate radiates serenity. Both interiors and exteriors calmly reflect the local stone, and the colors of watersplashed sand. Siennas mixed with Naples yellow, cocoa brown and darker shades accentuate furniture, curtains, picture frames, lamps; even the quarry stone of the columns. The homes floor plan flows easily between private and social areas; all spacious, practical and elegant.

Baha del Sols terrace is designed to have plenty of room for everything that happens here. A large pool and its formidable fish motif dominates the open space, with a jacuzzi rounding out the aquatic pleasures. Fire is present in the fire pit, built behind the pool on the property line, to provide a new sensory focus for convivial gatherings with loved ones. The palapa completes the terraces sybaritic trilogy, with overstuffed armchairs for sharing leisurely conversations in this timeless place. Mexican details adorning Baha del Sol show the same discreet good taste as the rest of the property. Particularly pleasurable is the quarry stone fountain, framed in blue talavera tile, that is built into the stone wall of a small interior patio. The owner of this excellent home confirms a love for Mexican style:
We love the authentic Mexican Hacienda style of the home, with its lush landscaping, wonderful fountains and outdoor living areas, including a large palapa which is a favorite gathering place.

Baha del Sol can be savored like a fine, full-bodied wine

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A Beauty Spot on the Face of Paradise

Casa del Viento 2007 La Ribera VIMAR Contractors, Construction Marcos Cauduro, Director Adn Bareo, Architectural Design Owners and Gabriela Cauduro, Interior Design Tropical Landscape, Landscape Design

Beaches with myriad shades of sands, a palette of crushed rock in colors to rouse painters envy, a chromatic array starting at slate gray and passing through brown to arrive at a mix of yellows, some pale as can be, some nearly white. On one part of this shore, south of La Paz, sits the Casa del Viento. Casa del Viento? House of the Wind? What do these names mean? A home that floats and wanders suspended in weightlessness? What is the wind? If the answer is simply a force, we might then infer that this is the house of impetus, of momentum.

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Casa del Viento: facing the sublime sea, air and power, retaining walls; then, fifty steps along a pathway leading to the sea, lilies spread over the pale sand, ropes of vegetation whispering for you to overstep boundaries; yellow wall, added volumes, built to scale; pergola, esplanade, vertical walls of ochre, orange, hot pink, vertex of gigantic walls; fireplace that is also a windbreak, terrace and swimming pool, gym, kitchen, wide sunlit corridors, high ceilings; silence, art, gardens, exhilaration and peace. Casa del Viento is the union of wise engineering and natural splendor, paradises beauty spot, structural freedom: straight cuts and quiet curves submitting to the precision of the cube, a huge windbreak wall, hot pink and orange. The abodes builder is Marcos Cauduro, director of VIMAR Contractors. Seventeen years of experience building in Los Cabos underscore his insistence that the biggest challenge here isnt to be found in the construction, but in oneself. The houses name is justified because of the areas climatic conditions, and the challenges of this building lot at the edge of the sea.

The combination of wind and sand (whose periodic buffeting can be troublesome) led architect Adn Bareo to integrate protective elements, never architectural caprices, into the structural design. There is the great wall, for example, which like a huge hinge joins the two sections of the estate; and the fireplace, no less grand, whose surfaces block the easterly winds. Marcos and his team tend to fall in love with their projects, and even more so when they are highly original: when they are absolutely unique, and free of the design regulations imposed by most local developments, they throw themselves into the work with passion:
I dont think theres a home anywhere thats quite like Casa del Viento; for its style, its dimensions, the characteristics of its location. Sitting upon 10,000 square meters of land, it occupies its full 100 meters of ocean frontage: I really doubt that there are many residences like this.

coast from Puerto Los Cabos to La Paz, skirting Zacatitos, Cabo Pulmo and La Ribera to mention just a few intermediate points; is a one-of-a-kind opportunity. Because no real estate developments exist here, and thus none of the standards that generally restrict one to a determined style, the client can be offered a very distinct architectural concept, and options for a home with its very own personality. At Casa del Viento Marcos made a detailed study of the iconic architect Luis Barragns work, and then sat down with his client to customize the design; thanks to this, the residence outwardly suggests Barragns style, but the interior evokes something more, and more contemporary. Marcos Cauduro is a lover of beauty: as an engineer he wants to bring incomparable buildings to life, while of course pleasing his clients. Aesthetics should never be imposed upon function; the goal is to harmonize the two. Casa del Viento surely bears his signature, as it soars with him as the wind beneath its wings.

Building in paradise, or in Cabo del Este, as the engineer calls this strip of Eden stretching along the

Facing the sublime sea, air and power

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Like a Rock
Casa Escarpa 2009 San Jos del Cabo, Cabo Colorado Jos Miguel Monroy, Architect Federico Giner Herrera, Architect Monroy Arquitectos, Architecture and Construction Surez Segu, Interior Design

From a distance, Casa Escarpa seems to be part of the mountain. We gaze from the noble rock mass toward the sky, and then without warning are irresistably drawn to the compelling beauty of the ocean. And theres the structure itself; graceful, impressive, built upon rockor actually, built right into the mountain, like a sculpture basking in the sun. Arriving at the house, that first impression turns into welcome surprise at the balanced arrangement of architectural volumes, their angular forms edged in curvilinear forms to reveal a sense of movement, a dynamism to temper the silence. Stretched out there upon the stone, the home seems to have grandly emerged from the surface of the earth.
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Monroy Architects has left its stamp on this residence, so skillfully integrated into the lands topography. Its contemporary forms and details are stimulating from every angle. At its entrance, the gentle ascent of flagstone steps foreshadows the beauty within, which is quickly confirmed when we spot an imposing cornice effect, with thick wooden beams embedded in the rock on one side, and sustained by a wall on the other. A big wooden door opens onto the breathtaking sight that greets us before were even insidethe view, framed by a short passageway leading to the main terrace. As we recover from the shock, we can begin to take in Casa Escarpas interior which, like all of Monroy Architects projects, is distinguished by its functional design and devotion to the landscape. Given the surrounding topography, this three-storey home achieves its balanced, interconnected areas by virtue of an assymetrical and modular layout. Three bedrooms, each with its own bath, dressing room and terrace, are situated on the upper level; they are complemented by two common areasa television room and a study, that also serve to accommodate family

gatherings. Upon entering the middle level, you come upon the living and dining rooms, both with spectacular views; plus a kitchen that is enclosed now, but designed to merge with the dining area if required sometime in the future. Alongside these are an office and access to the main terrace. On the lower level is a fourth bedroom and the garage; far from creating any trouble, the hard mountain stone boldly blends into both areas, creating a roughly-textured, reddish fourth wall. While all of Casa Escarpa boasts gracious views and architectural details, the main terrace deserves special mention. There, integrated all along the width of the house, is an array of carefully-planned recreational elements. It is a large space, with an unroofed central area opening onto the surrounding scenery, and shady spots along its edges. Architect Miguel Monroy tells us how and why this splendid observation deck was laid out:

The standard for lifestyles here relates to what residents have requested. People want to be on the terrace, with places to sit, relax, maybe read a book. In the afternoon theres the pool for cooling off and a barbecue for grilling food; this seems to be the current way of life in Los Cabos.

Federico Giner, one of the firms architects, adds his own vision:
People come to relax, and for most of our clients their Los Cabos residence is a second home. So they become mini spas, with all the facilities of a hotel but on a more personal scale. Being able to relax and have fun in your own home has become a model for Los Cabos living.

Monroy Architects responds to those requisites with imaginative design proposals along contemporary lines: open and clean, without any excessively avant-garde elements to detract from an overall sense of comfort. Casa Escarpa is a residence made to order for the owner and his family; for enhancing their life as they look out over the incredible sea.

Roughly-textured, reddish fourth wall

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A whiter shade of pale, the deep-blue sea

Casa Paulina Paulina Gutirrez de Velasco, Interior Designer San Jos del Cabo Constructora MALVER, Architecture and Construction: Casa G and Casa Rosa

Paulina Gutirrez has created many homes, an interior design shop and, of course, a concept. A woman with the vocation of an artist, she decorates spaces with exquisite, livable furniture and finishes, far surpassing her clients needs. The shop, in the historic center of San Jos del Cabo, is also her workshop, where she designs commissions and receives her creative inspiration for ennobling an elemental human need: shelter.
In the first part of a job, I present my clients with interior design sketches for their approval. At times they give me free rein, and may not return until the day I unveil the finished work because part of my job is to save them any worries over the process. Many other times, I work alongside my clients, and we select every element together. People need to know that when they hire us they dont need to worry about a thing, they can count on us all the way up to the day when they arrive with their luggage to move into their new home.
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Paulina is an interior designer who enjoys her profession, and her wide experience allows her to offer clients many workable options. Over time she has gotten to know the most specialized Mexican and international suppliers, and acquired catalogues displaying a wide variety of products assuring that she will be able to address homeowner needs down to the last detail. Actually, Casa Paulina is one of the few Los Cabos establishments to offer a large selection of fabrics, more than 15,000 different styles at Paulinas last count. She is passionate about textiles, and we notice just how passionate as we watch her choose a fabric, become absorbed in its texture, hold it up to mix and match with another design, then another, and ten or so more until she arrives at her envisioned combination. Paulina Gutirrez body of work is far-ranging, and all the interiors shes designed carry her stamp of excellence and good taste. Elegance is a difficult quality to attain anywhere, let alone in a beach house, but in Casa G, Paulina has created a highlyrefined living room using austere lines and delicate accents. In this house

nothing is overstated: the collection of art that hangs on its walls enliven the whole ambience with subtle tones. Authoritative use of surface color assures that the serenity reigning here mirrors the mood of the beach muted but never monotonous. Here a touch of white, there a pale yellow; its impressive to see the balanced and subtle contrasts between fabrics and furnishings, offering delight and humor. For example: blue throw pillows against a pistachio green chair: a sensation of restfulness and visual rhythm. Casa Rosa, on the other hand, places more emphasis on color without downplaying the architecture, or clashing with the mood. In this house, also on the water, the feelings Paulina evokes are bolder. Contributing to these are the palo de arco ceilings, the tile flooring and beautiful color accents. They immediately remind one of traditional Mexico: large, delicately-carved armoires, lovely genre paintings, wrought iron in lamps, mirror frames, curtain rods, towel racks, chairs and the entry door along with talavera mosaics set into bathrooms and kitchen; even into rustic leather and slat chairs, or equipales.

Stamp of excellence and good taste

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Could Paulina have such creative gifts without being an art lover? Perhaps, but in reality her vocation is nurtured by the visual arts.
I really appreciate art in general, and Im married to an artist my husband is a painter and sculptor. When we travel we visit galleries, and we buy art journals all the time because we like to know what the new trends are, whats being done in art now. I like a little bit of everything, from classic to contemporary; the important thing is that a piece calls to me. It makes me happy to have good walls, and some good artworks to exhibit on them.

the work of a different designeris that a plus or a minus? Certainly a plus, because it bespeaks this designers professional versatility, her ability to achieve rooms of the same high quality, but derived from different concepts according to the needs of each client; a villa, for example, expressing stark contemporary style, with austere designer furniture. If you hunt for a constant in Paulinas work, youll find two: her talent, clearly, apparent in each commission, and indivisible from it, her love of art. Paulinas story of life as an interior designer began in the port of Ensenada, designing various projects in which she perfected her sense of space and magical gift for combining materials. Years later she moved to San Jos del Cabo: in 1991 Casa Paulina was launched, and in 2005 it became an attractive multiple space housing the interior design shop, a restaurant and art gallery Plaza Paulina.

This passion for art, which she shares with many of her clients, has inspired trips whose only mandate is to locate exclusive pieces, fabulous adventures as I seek a painting for each space, as she says. Paulina Gutirrez worked on five villas within a magnificent oceanfront development, and delivered five wonderful interiors. Whats extraordinary is that each of them might have been

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Bold Profile, Sublime Features

Grand Mayan Los Cabos San Jos del Cabo Grupo VIDANTA, Developer and Builder AHA UNIVERSO, Architecture, Landscape, Interior Design Arturo Hernndez, Architect - President Hctor Martnez, Architect - Architectural Design Joaqun Homs, Architect Interior Design

Mayan culture blooms spectacularly in the lush jungle of pre-Columbian cultures. Outstanding for its intellectual and aesthetic achievements, it predated the Mexicas or Aztecs by far, not to mention the European conquistadors. Its most important citystates didnt last beyond the year 1000 AD, but along with the Olmec civilization the Mayan began several centuries before the Christian era. Over the course of its evolution, mutually beneficial relations were established with civilizations as far north as Teotihuacn, but Mayan presence was most intense on the Yucatn pennsula; in the Mexican forests and jungles of Campeche, Chiapas and Tabasco: it also extended into present-day Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

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Even now there are many Mayan treasures yet to be discovered: the exploration of several renowned sites has barely begun, yet the essence of the culture is alive; inspiring lovers of science and the arts with its power. Today, far-reaching echoes from the Mayan world are still heard by entrepreneurs, who proudly adopt its name and brilliant spirit: such is the case with Grupo VIDANTA, the Mayan Groups corporate arm, and with AHA UNIVERSO. For twenty years they have worked together on the groups famous hotel projects. Teamwork between Mexican creators and innovators; art, technical prowess, a joyous passion for providing essential comforts: these are the distinctive features of the Los Cabos Grand Mayan. Arturo Hernndez, director of AHA UNIVERSO, reveals the guiding concept:
I like something that Plato said: that pleasure only exists in the absence of remorse; when you simply live. So, the pleasures we envision are translated by each of our designers into the perfect vacation setting.

dedicated, attentive to details large and small; demanding finish work that provides this exclusive hotel with bold and sublime touches everywhere you look. What did launching the Los Cabos Grand Mayan project actually mean? A great opportunity, and a challenge to be met with all professionalism: bringing Mexican talent to the forefront so our creative gifts could be viewed on an international scale, and raise the bar for the nations best hotels. Arturo Hernnd e z n o t e s :
Our goal was to reach the very height of hotel development with a fresh, original and profitable product; an investment relying upon and benefiting the Mexican economy. As recognition of our success, we received the gold medal in the IV International Interior Design Biennial, and it pleases us to have that confirmation that weve fulfilled our objectives.

all guest rooms and services wrap themselves around the building lot except on the side which is left open to the beach. Its no exaggeration to say that this areas focal point, the swimming pool, is truly fantastic. AHA UNIVERSOs architectural director Hctor Martnez explains that the Grand Mayan was only made possible by first, the talent and dedication of every team member; and then, by the fine materials used. Starting from the clients requirements, the hotel took on its distinctive form: the team addressed topographic and climatic variables to determine the buildings orientation, and ultimately designed the most comfortable hotel rooms imaginable, in a smoothly-flowing layout. Each space complements the next, and everything functions like a charm. Hector sums it up for us:
We began with the very specific idea of creating a type of luxury and comfort that anyone can sense the moment they enter the lobby. We wanted a hotel that would honor its local context, adapting well to its surroundings; respecting this region and joining proudly in its growth. We wanted a highly contemporary hotel, built to the proper scale; not so aggressively grand that its faade wouldnt complement the natural desert environment. Once inside, the setting can be spectacular: the pool and its surrounding areas are examples of that.

Designing the Hotel

From the air, the Grand Mayan looks like a horseshoe though it could also be a large serpent emerging from the sea to repose on the sand, its head emblazoned with rectangles and diamonds of blue. Aside from that reverie, we can note with certainty that the structure is designed so that

AHA UNIVERSO, with headquarters in Guadalajara, is the firm of experts who designed the Grand Mayan Resort: formidable and

Art, technical prowess, a joyous passion

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From a technical standpoint, Hctor continues, comfort derives from hotel personnel having been given all the proper tools: if attention to guests is efficient and all services are reliable, it is because the design has effectively considered time-and-motion, and logistics. Practical aspects are crucial to the guests well-being: the best attitude on the part of the staff is not enough, if not backed by good design.

experience not only transcends any design postulates, but yields the greatest comforts and sensory delights. Agreeing with what Arturo and Hctor have said, Joaqun adds that this project was particularly important: it achieved something new for the Mayan Group, and something unprecedented in Los Cabos. A great opportunity, it also provided a blank canvas which, thanks to the team of professional participants, was filled with realized expectations; with stylistic continuity from the street to the beach. This was successful holistic design; merging architecture, urban planning and landscaping: The entire group knew and benefited from what each member was working on; thats real teamwork. The challenge for Homs was to give the Grand Mayan its own personality, distinguishing it in form and substance from Los Cabos existing hotels and developments. He knew the building must stand on its own aesthetic merits from the ground up, and he naturally rose to the challenge. From the outside the hotels clean, balanced lines impressively interact with the

desert landscape while framing its characteristic scenery. Achieving these effects meant some extraordinary effort, such as scientifically analyzing the local sands in order to determine color tones for the faade and interiors. Architect Homs points out:
We think that the building is very well integrated; it stands out without being overwhelming. The landscaping unifies exterior and interior, with touches of greenery to temper the desert terrain.

Adorning the Palace

The Los Cabos Grand Mayan is an invitation to a feast of the senses: unfettered joy, absolute relaxation, sheer delight and eye-catching beauty. In this whirlwind of high class, avant-garde and eclectic design, you may indeed be stunned, but only by pleasure. Joaqun Homs, AHA UNIVERSOs interior design director and the man in charge of decorating the Grand Mayan, was awarded the gold medal at the IV International Interior Design and Landscape Biennial in 2008. This important prize honors a lifes work; recognizing that professional

For resorts built amidst tropical vegetation, dappled light and moisture soften colors; but here in the desert, even where gardens are constantly irrigated, the sun is relentless. At the Grand Mayan, Joaqun says, comfort meant modulating its intensity: with dark floors, for example, even in outdoor terrace areas where wooden decking absorbs reflected sunlight. The color analysis was decisive because those desert hues are such a part of Grand Mayans identity; but one component remained. This was more conceptual, relating to the dcor and how Mexican elements should be intelligently reinterpreted. It was a task

An invitation to a feast of the senses

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demanding study, imagination and daring because Mexico has a grand array of folkloric and indigenous images, but also motifs dating from its Colonial heritage: the exuberant plateresque and baroque styles. Joaqun Homs explains how he decided to revive XIX century marquetry work in the lobby, but with streamlined furniture as a counterpoint, and color accents of pale aqua and orange. Clearly this combination was thoroughly unique: We contrasted classical forms with very contemporary and linear ones: in balance with each other, and with the grand scale of the surrounding structure. Attempting to describe every element of the Grand Mayans interior mood would be fruitless; there are so many details and design triumphs. Better to experience it, succumb to its seductive luxury and equilibrium, open oneself completely to the sensory stimuli of each room and every image: walkways striated with light and shadow, corridors draped in fine gauze, armchairs with tall quilted backs and cowhide seats, Venetian mirrors, curving dark wooden candlesticks, slim red lamps on tables in the outer hall,

Versailles-style chests of drawers facing modern recliners, rows of wrought iron candelabra, floating torches in the pool area There are not enough superlatives to express the creativity we find here. Nor should it be forgotten that the Gran Mayans roots extend far into southern Mexico, from whence it brings the artistic motifs that subtly appear on the grand hotels walls, floors and landings; reminding us that the legendary Mayan spirit is present. As at the Yaxchiln archaeological site, entry to this magnificent sanctuary is through a dark passageway: sunken in shadow, it makes us oblivious to the world weve left and prepares us for whats to come. The final word belongs to AHA UNIVERSOs president, Arturo Hernndez:
Arriving at the Grand Mayan you enter a camera oscura, where you immediately forget about workaday life and the stresses of travel. Here youre welcomed by great Mayan figures, as if you were paying a state visit and are being met by your ancient noble counterparts. This is a timeless oasis for your senses; spiritually purifying you before you walk out into the light.

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Architectural Team: Arq. Jorge Lpez Arq. Norberto Figueroa Arq. Luis Oscar Gonzlez Arq. Moiss Ernesto Cortez

Interior Design Team: Arq. Cristian Gonzlez Arq. Enrique Ramrez Arq. Efrn Ortega Arq. Elisa Daz Arq. Lydia Cruz

Just Clouds and Sky...

Casa Fryzer 2009 San Jos del Cabo, Villas del Mar Palmilla
Robert Sinclair & Associates, Architectural Design Cardn Land Company
Turn-Key, Design/Build/Management

Gravi Constructora & Del Mar Development Construction Maxa Watershapes Swimming Pool Design/Build Wilson & Associates, Interior Design Iluminacin Planeada, Lighting Design Creative Concept Sound Solutions, Audio Design

Where this home sits atop the mountain, there is nothing above it but clouds and sky. The spectacular estate has all San Jos Bay at its feet, and a vista encompassing many distant scenic points; looking straight ahead, one becomes lost in the extraordinary sight of the immense ocean. To reach the entrance one climbs a precipitously winding road: upon reaching the grand gate and doorway, it is finally possible to see inside Casa Fryzer, a magnificent residence distinguished not only for its size and setting, but for its elegance.
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Stone rules the exterior, in lordly dignity; the interior faades have lighter surfaces that enhance ones sensory impressions, bringing joy to residents and visitors. Its no exaggeration to say that this residence is made for pleasure and comfort throughout, with subtle touches in some areas, and stunning details in others. Directly across from the main entrance, the handsome infinity pool beckons with its sensual organic lines. The placement and design of the pool area make it the homes focal point: among its amenities are a large jacuzzi and two circular islands with fire pits and armchairs. Adding to the prospective pleasures are the benches set around the islands and at the pools rim, because facing the bay from this vantage is a total aquatic experience. At night, the exteriors fabulous lighting design allows the owner to extend his days in paradise as long as he likes.

A total aquatic experience

Casa Fryzers interiors are spacious and refined, with the architecture guaranteeing optimal cross-ventilation and access to the spectacular landscape, thanks to sliding glass doors. The kitchen and wine cellar, each beautiful on its own, are outfitted with state-of-the-art technology to assure that exquisite gourmet food and drink may be served at any hour. Terraces outside the gorgeous bedrooms expand those private spaces, adding natures beauty to their other charms. The houses concept responds entirely to the owners needs, which include being able to live outdoors year round, and having a thoroughly comfortable exterior setting from which to enjoy the regions stupendous climate. Los Cabos climate was actually the owners most important determining factor for building Casa Fryzer: hed lived in New York and California, and continued to seek the perfect place for his style of life. Researching, traveling widely, he came upon Baja; perfect weather and the most beautiful ocean views, in a unique combination only Los Cabos offers. The house is open, with interiors flowing easily into the exterior; allowing residents to live in the fresh air around the clock. The owners intense vitality

inspired him to illuminate the estate at night, as bright as daylight. His love of the water meant construction of a marvelous pool and installation of private jacuzzis in the bedrooms, so he can conceivably eat, drink and sleep in the water. But finally, this home is his refuge, a sanctuary that meets his every need and desire without his having to leave his property: it has even become his business center. And at the same time, Casa Fryzer is a model residence; it consciously shows that a luxurious estate, with all the accoutrements for living life to the hilt, can be built in Mexico and particularly in Los Cabos. The owners vision is now trained on the Baha de los Sueos development, an extraordinary place of pristine beauty located on the shores of the Sea of Corts between Los Cabos and La Paz. Casa Fryzers owner is more than glad to live here, and his contentment energizes his real estate firms ambitious development of luxury homes in Baha de los Sueos, where it will be possible for even the most exacting buyers to build their dream homes; homes of Casa Fryzers size, style, and fine craftsmanship.

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The Seas Heartbeat

Casa en el Mar 2008 San Jos del Cabo, El Dorado Juan Javier Zapata lvarez, IDS Architect Cabo Development, Construction Margarita lvarez lvarez, Interior Design Beatriz Redo, Floral Design

Casa en el Mar has the refined beauty and attributes of a home that eschews superfluous decoration. Facing the ocean, it is simply engaged in poetic dialogue with the water. An elegant residence, Casa en el Mar is subdued and aesthetically striking, a testament to the essential quality and refinement of Mexican artisanry. Answering the owners desire for a distinctive home, it also reflects their confidence in the team that brought their plans to fruition. Opportunity and professionalism came together in harmonious, integrated solutions to every creative and practical challenge.

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The house was built for a well-known Baja California family, whose desire was to live facing the sea, fully enjoying Los Cabos unrivalled climate. From the beginning, then, the design responded to all the myriad realities of a home on the coast; adjusting itself to the lots rectangular form and emphasizing the view toward the ocean by neatly dividing the architecture around a central patio. Given the density of the development where it was built, Casa en el Mar sought complete privacy from adjacent properties; and found it. The principles of seclusion and introversion permeate every area, making this a home to be enjoyed from within; except in the pool area, which openly reveals itself to the expansive beach. The architectural connecting thread is the central patio: rectilinear in form, bounded by the bedrooms, it captures the sun and breezes to send light and fresh air inside. In the middle is a sleek and narrow reflecting pool, like a brushstroke of sky painted upon the earth. The fluid alliance of patio and pool lead to the sea. As architect Juan Zapata tells us:
I have always believed that architecture is the sum of empty space and built space. In this house,

though the patio seems to have only one access it is actually a crucial complement to all the bedrooms. And its the place that filters out external distractions so residents can leave them behind, and experience peace. Walking up to this spot, we know weve arrived at a truly special place.

Built all on one level, Casa en el Mar is an estate with its own personality. Beneath its majestic ceilings and clearly designated by its elegant lines are four bedrooms, including two suites and a master suiteeach with its own small patio. It also houses a family room and a great room comprised of living room, dining room and bar; as well as the kitchen which in the traditional Mexican manner is independent, but laterally connected to the homes public areas. Facing the beach, a covered terrace and recreation zone with pool and garden complete the ensemble. The architectural balance achieved at Casa en el Mar provides its residents and visitors with tranquility: its harmonious spatial dimensions and elegant finishes make this a home for relaxation and repose. Thanks to the serenity of its pure and dignified forms, it expresses a heartfelt intention to enrich daily living with vivid style and comfort.

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In poetic dialogue with the water

South Seas
Casa Regina 2007 San Jos del Cabo, El Dorado Roberto Contreras, Architectural Design ARKCO, Construction

Casa Reginas panoply of outstanding details captivates our eyes just as an enchanting perfume does our sense of smell subtly; thrilling with exquisite essences in delicate balance. Through Casa Reginas decor, its interior ambience, wafts a scent that carries us to the romantic South Seas, where poets and painters sought substance in creation, and in life. What comes to mind when touring the house is actually Indonesia: in the patio, the port of Bali. And inside, elegant accents here, there, everywhere: feathered black face masks, elongated red lamps on the walls, a tobacco pipe near the tub, batik cushions, embroidered scrollwork suspended from armoires and a silent wooden tiger reposing in one bedroom. But the residence is Mexican, without a doubt: it has the flavor of traditional mountain homes and hundred-year-old haciendas. Its taste is for red earth, clay and adobe, clad in painstakingly-fitted shards of stone.
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Architect Roberto Contreras, Casa Reginas creator, says that this particular project has been the most satisfying of his career, since it has meant achieving the sensation of time travel back to the 19th century haciendas. Although his blueprints anticipated every detail, the finish work was actually done while the house was being built, by trial and error so that the clients expectations could be met and still the work came in within budget, and on schedule. Very soon, just as you enter the development, the house makes itself known: from the entrance you spot the complex many-peaked and tile-covered roof, a design unique to Robertos career thus far. Incredible rooflines, is his own assessment. The homes reception area is an elongated patio, flanked by the casitas, a set of two guest rooms guarded by a Balinese door. The floor is composed of local Muleg flagstones, brought down on burros from the hills of San Francisco and Santa Luca; the casitas doorstep is a rock from the Los Cabos region, literally weighing a ton. Set into a wall, the quarry stone fountain has a gentlyflowing stream that attracts songbirds

and doves, enhancing the remembered image of a Mexican hacienda. Inside, the house is bedecked with stunning details: centenary doors, for example, and a richly-designed half-bath. This sybaritic room fulfills its essential tasks while adding an imaginative, aesthetic strip of desert behind a glass enclosure its doors reach from floor to ceiling, and wall to wall. Along its entire length, the backdrop wall is a painting of circular lines and textural effects achieved with miniscule pieces of crushed red tile, highlighted by hidden luminarias; two sculptural cactus plants grow in the meter of space between wall and glass. Passing through the hallway one comes upon the common area with its double-high ceilings; divided between living and dining rooms, and kitchen. Whats surprising here is how the stones speak those in the large vestibule of the master suite with those of the fireplace. Thanks to the sheer intensity of the stone, this sober area has a slightly wounded look bloodlessly wounded, naturally. The fireplace is a work of art; its pieces

carefully chosen and then put together like a puzzle, its rectangular firebox topped off by a distinctive mantel. The circular vestibule of the master suite, for its part, not only separates private from social zones, but lends its stylistic imprint to the whole living room. The kitchen, its materials matching those in the dining area, is graced by a woodburning stove recalling the clay pots of earlier times; and a gray quartz bar. The wooden china cabinet built into a side wall, full of glazed ceramic, adds seasoning. From this setting succulent dishes and aromas can be passed onto the terrace, which is equipped to offer another array of pleasures: one may contemplate the sea, enjoy a refreshing swim in the pool or a jacuzzi massage. Departing from the hacienda concept, the terrace is covered by a double-peaked palapa handsome and breezy, built of myrtle wood posts interwoven with ropes of liana. As night falls, a softly refreshing wind comes up: in the palapa the candles are lit, and the time has arrived for lively conversation.

Scent that carries us to the romantic South Seas

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The Height of Affection

Casa T 2007 San Jos del Cabo, Palmilla Sur Constructora MALVER, Architecture and Construction Miguel ngel Arce Lpez Velarde, Civil Engineer President Federico Guillermo Martnez Garca, Architect Director Carlos Gilberto Lira lvarez, Architect Director of Custom Homes Owners, Interior Design Cabo Systems, Media Systems Iluminacin Planeada, Lighting Design Vivero Los Cabos, Landscape Design

Miguel ngel Arce, MALVERs founder and president, knew just how to bring together an effective team of valued associates; a team that immediately came to be known for its ethical and professional principles. This talented group allows MALVER to offer high quality projects, balancing creative, functional architecture with painstaking, efficient construction. Added to these qualities is the uniqueness factor, as each of the firms homes boasts innovative building methods and finish work. The president offers some specifics:
Our homes are handcrafted, and develop organically: every day we revise our choices to find the best alternatives, making modifications to incorporate choicer materials weve found, or some element weve successfully tested.

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An unparallelled residence, Casa T is also evidence of MALVERs working philosophy and principles. Because its built upon a very steep lot, engineering techniques were crucial in preparing the land for building: on one side, at the street-level terrace area for example, a fourteen-foot elevation is distributed across three retaining walls. Thus, one can begin to picture Casa Ts location: on a mountain facing the sea, which gives it a truly enviable panorama. In the words of Miguel ngel Arce, this house is one of the architects masterworks because it has such impressive views, from every room. And the house does indeed leave visitors speechless with its marvelous scenery, especially the spectacular overlook from the terrace. Federico Martnez, the project architect, shares his vision with us:
From the point of view of architectural design, those same retaining walls gave us the chance to build a jacuzzi on the lower level, with the pool above and a bath sunk into the rocks thats an exclusive touch for this area. Given all these topographical levels, I think we achieved a site with sensational views, and a home made to be thoroughly enjoyed.

Casa T was planned to encompass 500 square meters, but the complete confidence they had in the firm meant the owners participated intensely in the construction processand the footprint grew to 800 square meters of finished space. Altogether, along with its handsome social areas the estate has five bedrooms, a multimedia recreation room and the casita, a small separate apartment for service workers. Starting at the entryway, the estate has its very own personality, blending various styles while concentrating on gracious living and its owners personal tastes. Perhaps this is its most important feature: it lets residents feel that each room was designed just for them, to match their lifestyle and reflect their character. This is a place to lovingly share family activities, and to entertain friends on a grand scale. Like all of MALVERS homes, Casa T is luxuriously finished and detailed. Responding to all the clients requirements, they installed a monumental entrance door, framed in amber-colored glass to illuminate the no less imposing quarry stone chimney inside, its fireplace clad

in yellow talavera, Mexican majolica, to lend the great room light and warmth. The kitchen, with its dual design, is another area deserving our attention: the open part, elegant and dignified, merges with the great room, while the hidden zone contains all the necessary appliances and equipment, plus a spacious cupboard to assure that the open section is always kept clean and presentable. Separated from the great room, the dining hall adjoins the kitchen on one side and the terrace on the other; this layout makes it so versatile that, if desired, sliding doors can open it completely to the spectacular view. When the same doors are closed, this becomes an intimate space, linked only to the kitchen. Casa T is a home built into the rocks, looking peaceably over the immense ocean. As architect Carlos Lira, MALVERS custom homes director says, its a majestic dwelling, very contemporary but with many lovely traditional touches.

A home built into the rocks, looking peaceably over the immense ocean

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Avant-garde Design
Diaz de Luna Signature Mnica Daz de Luna, Interior Designer Cabo San Lucas

Mnica Daz de Luna is an elegant woman. Refined, easygoing and serious, she effortlessly demonstrates her mastery over her chosen domain: that of interior design. To establish order you need intelligence, but to live it you need a vocation for juggling imagination and practicality. The installations housing Mnica Daz de Lunas office and showroom are governed by this notion: from there have evolved all the other attributes for which her designs are known. Harmony, new ways with classic interior design elements; in short, sheer creativity. The designers private quarters make their own statement: welcoming, surely, but also expressively contemporary. Reds and grays accent walls, floors and various furnishings; a straight-edged, dark-toned bookcase extends imperiously though not stridently along the back wall and ones gaze lingers there, traveling through the maze of rectangular niches that are like a cerebral womb ripe with books. Design, design and more design; architectural design, surface and finish design, furniture and accessory design

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Mnica Daz de Luna conjures up her first brush with design, recalling the eight year old girl who took charge of making her house pretty. At Christmas she was always very concerned with how the table looked, whether the living room was ready to show fluffing pillows, standing in front of the tree that had been spectacularly decorated and every year something new! Is that where her vocation began? Monica insists that shes been a designer since birth, but shes also grown, studying tirelessly, to reach this point: surrounded by her books and magazines, keeping up with all the latest trends, and occupying a high-profile place in the world of avantgarde design. The paradox: order that exists to serve creative anarchy. Drawers full of materials, boxes large and small, relatively organized display cases here and there: the space and design process working together to establish the order that will allow creation to shine. Then: art? what is it? Art leaves you breathless when you see it, its something very subjective that fills the soul; even at the very worst times, creative people are the ones able to move forward.

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Predating all her responsibilities to clients, Mnica has one to herself: a need to be more creative, pushing herself to be more and more original. She knows that the main design elements have already been set: she doesnt have to invent them but rather to hazard new compositions, that will make her work itself an artform. When she does meet with clients, theres no other option but to surprise them with her vision which takes time, of course, because its not merely about furnishing rooms, but finding brilliant, holistic solutions:
This is my day-to-day goal, to be original and different in this small sphere, because Los Cabos really is a small sphere. This has its own advantages, youre seen at the exhibitions, and the store itself can be a showroom for my work. Everything is designed for now, nothing comes from a catalog, and all my collections have one purpose: to reveal a completely-attuned world, from the terrace to the sitting room, with thought even for the music thats playing, and the colors you see.

Still, she must share her context with them: the diversity characteristic of Mexico doesnt necessarily match the idea of Mexican-ness many of them arrived with, let alone their ideas about the Mexican home they say they want. The majority of those she advises come to agree with her, because they do want a house that speaks of Mexico. She explains that Mexico is not a jumble of bright colors, and that the famous hacienda may indeed be elegant in places, but is probably simpler than what theyve imagined. Although she likes the freedom of residential jobs, Mnica prefers to work on hotels: their corporate atmosphere, not being cast in one style, gives her a wider field of action. In a hotel, she explains, one can design various themes and settings: communal hospitality areas, especially restaurants and bars, excite her, but her real passion is outdoor design. So much so, that not long ago she presented a collection called Outdoor by Diaz de Luna; an overall concept that includes not only furnishings but cushions and tableware everything, as she says, for living al fresco. The experience of working with corporations in Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta, Cancun and Monterrey, has

been very rewarding, and also full of learning experiences for her and her team:
With all the services weve provided these very large companies, whose interior design offices are in New York, weve had to follow their lead. The way they work is impressive, and weve learned a lot that weve been able to apply in the residential realm.

Conscientious about the quality of her work, Mnica Daz de Luna changes her showroom three times a year; each season with a new theme. Sometimes she looks toward Milan, where the latest trends may come as a surprise. The last collection, in December, was all black, white and silver; recalling 1940s movie stars. This coming September, it will blend glamour girl imagery and jazz, with What a wonderful world by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss immortalized by Louis Armstrong as its theme song. Mnica knows theres no other interior design firm like hers, and she concludes, Im a design person, and devoted to lifelong learning, which continues to heighten my aesthetic sensitivity.

Mnica Daz de Luna speaks with an understanding of the tact necessary for dealing with the demands of her clients, most of them from the U.S. or Canada; whom she describes as cultured people, well aware of what they want.

Order that exists to serve creative anarchy

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The Art of the Borrowed Landscape

George W. Girvin Associates George W. Girvin, Landscape Architect

As residents have been drawn to Los Cabos by this peninsulas extraordinary beauty, its recent past has been shaped by the striking contributions of several visionaries: among them, landscape architect George W. Girvin is notable for having truly explored the regions natural history to reach a profound understanding of its landscape, which he has applied to planning outstanding sites that add brilliance and renown to this international destination. In twenty years of working with the Baja California landscape, George W. Girvin has designed countless homes, residential communities and hotels, so its no exaggeration to say that the image of Los Cabos has been defined by his intelligence and sensitivity. His work as a steward of the land can be seen at Punta Ballena, Puerto los Cabos, East Cape Club, Cabo del Sol, Palmilla and its One & Only Hotel, Espritu del Mar, the Hacienda Residence Club, Esperanza Resort, Sheraton Hotel and Vista Serena Resort, among others.
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In 2009, George W. Girvins lifes work was recognized by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), a professional association with over one hundred years of history. ASLA now has 17,000 members in 48 chapters, throughout the U.S. and 68 other nations. Naming Girvin as a member of the ASLA Council of Fellows honors his distinguished career, ensuring that his enlightened concepts and practical experience may become that much more visible and influential.
George Girvin was nominated by the Northern California Chapter for the creation of works that define the landscape character of a geographic region and have significant impact on the public. For 38 years, his work as a site planner and designer, particularly in the areas of parks and recreation and resort planning, has enhanced the role and importance of landscape architecture and stewardship of the land in the development process.

Another specific feature of Girvins work is his constant dedication to bringing the landscape into the built environment: rescuing native plants, thoughtfully placing them amidst construction elements that interact with their natural surroundings, even bringing nature inside. Another concept is that of the borrowed landscape, and the architect gives some examples of this:
Why has the Esperanza Resort been so successful? Because we have adapted to the terrain and situated buildings here in a horseshoe shape, to achieve the greatest amount of open space, ocean views which all can share, and maximum exposure to the sea. The philosophy of stewardship for the land and the concept of borrowed landscape are principles that always guide me in my work.

visual interpretation that will genuinely introduce them to the place and make their stay there a memorable one. Once the sites unique characteristics are noted, they become the underlying inspiration for any work to be done, and it is crucial to preserve the landscapes historic and cultural aspectsas Girvins firm did with a historic sugar mill in the British West Indies, so they become a part of the spirit one feels when entering the site. It is important to Girvin that anyone working with him on a project share this philosophy. George W. Girvin remarks upon how he entered the field of landscape architecture:
Architecture always interested me: I studied drafting and studio arts in high school, and I was also a competitive swimmer. When I went looking for a college with a good swim team, I discovered Foothills Community College, which was the first California community college to be designed from the ground up. I was impressed by the way the campus looked; in fact it had received various prestigious architectural awards during the early 60s. Its buildings were freestanding, as in a village, arranged amidst bridges and plazas there in the foothills, and it was then that I first realized the importance of site planning and efficient land use. After graduating, I again sought a college with a swim team, as well as a respected architecture school, and I wound up at the University of Oregon, where the landscape architecture courses topography, grading and drainage; natural sciences, soil analysis and plantingappealed to me more than the other architecture offerings did.

Girvin is convinced that the landscape professionals mission is to be a steward of the land: from this vantage point, the successful projects are those in which the landscape architect participates from the very beginning, well before building commences. This means feasibility studies can be conducted to ascertain options and limitations; so the land itself can tell him where each element should be placed. As he studies the lands mandates for a project, he also considers the historic and social context of each setting.

George W. Girvin Associates, a landscape architecture firm founded in 1986, starts from these two premises, stewardship and borrowed landscape, as it plans its projects: the firms design vision allows it to respond to client commissions with what is always a practical, realistic and sustainable proposal. The innumerable technical details that arise are efficiently resolved when a coherent set of general principles exist. This is another reason why the landscape architect should optimally start working before anyone else finding the best utilization for the entire site, adapting it so that it will fully satisfy residents and visitors, giving them a

From the American Society of Landscape Architects website, www.asla.org, August 2009.

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Girvins important achievements during a long career have brought him success and fame, but he has always been empathetic, generous-spirited and attentive with his professional team and clients. He traces his success to his most recent project and the recommendations he receives from the builders hes worked with, and he always looks forward to the challenges of his next job. His creative versatility means that each landscape plan is different from the rest, according to the particular project, but all are faithful to his principles: I enjoy the opportunity to change the face of a site, but my work is always about sustainable adaptations, not alterations. Being a seasoned and highly respected architect allows him to be selective in the commissions he accepts, and he avoids any that are not in keeping with his aims. As he says, landscape architecture is not just his jobit is a way of life, and he must be moved by the landscape of a proposed development, feel

passion for the process of finding solutions there, and have a heartfelt sense of borrowing its beauty. George W. Girvin Associates far-ranging work not only beautifies the landscape of Los Cabos and other fine resorts, but encompasses various comprehensive projects in Santa Barbara, California and elsewhere, including the campuses of the University of California at Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara City College; as well as public parks. Current and future projects include the stunning Castello di Casole project in Tuscany, Italy, a boutique hotel and spa in Napa Valley, CA and resorts in Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta and Maui, Hawaiito name just a few. George Girvin considers himself fortunate to have found this profession, and appreciates the support of a dedicated team of associates and designers who carry out their own responsibilities with their own sense of passionbecause there are many commissions, and plenty of work to go around.

The landscape professionals mission is to be a steward of the land

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Starry Mirror
Casa Yvonne 2009 San Jos del Cabo, Puerto Los Cabos Hern Minero, Andrs Ogarrio, Juan Zapata Integrated Development Services IDS, Architecture and Construction IDS, Alma brego, Landscape Design Elyse Walker, Interior Design

In describing Casa Yvonne, where to start? To say that its beautiful as well as functional doesnt quite suffice, so it may be better to note that its an architectural feata contemporary mood complementing its deep Mexican roots. It might also be apt to say that the walls of this house are actually one expanse, along which shadows spontaneously trace their own designs: it serves as an ever-changing canvas for the dancing afternoon light. Or that seen from afar, it could be a ship eager to return to the sea.

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Casa Yvonne fearlessly basks in the noontime sun, completely revealing itself, concealing none of its lovely details. Built on one single level, it takes advantage of the elevations prescribed by the development and maximizes interior heights to produce an instant sense of wellbeing. Its six symmetrically distributed rooms, two main ones in front and four behind, are proud volumes creating a central area for the patio, kitchen and great room. With this equitable floor plan, the central area is the shared social arena for two famiy wings: as an axis, it is a beautiful succession of planes that may come together in the entryway to provide a view over the entire complexand an unobstructed panorama of the sea and horizon. At other times, the succession can be blocked off to allow the kitchen its autonomy, the patio and great room their privacy. The spectacular ocean views from the main bedrooms highlight the residences joyous mission; wide staircases and

stylized edges are particularly striking elements; the exquisite handwork of the finishescarpentry and stone carpets are resoundingly successful details. The architectural ingenuity at Casa Yvonne has also created an upper terrace, boasting a tile covered roof. Afternoons when the temperature declines, residents can climb up and see past the ordinary horizon; at night this area invites intimate gatherings accompanied by hospitable fire, music, and overhead, the starry mirror of the sky. The small terraces delights also include the suggestion of a fifth faade, to distinguish the flat roofs; the solution of gently rounded pebbles adds color and texture to the functional aesthetic and serves the technical purpose of modulating the temperature. Another example of materials being efficiently employed are marble floors, with their low heat-retention.

At IDS, architecture offers opportunities for getting to know people and other ways of viewing life, which is why they seek long-term relationships: they dont just deliver a project, they make friends. Casa Yvonne was born of mutual admiration between the company and its clients, with their enthusiasm for IDS knowledge and preservation of Mexican tradition, and attentiveness to familial and social needs. With family life as Casa Yvonnes underlying theme, its kitchen and central patio communicate with each other to guard and support activities throughout the rest of the house. Everything else relates back to these areas: cross ventilation, lighting, the privacy of the master bedrooms, myriad views of the landscape. The homes smooth functioning arises from the concept of sharing, of being a family and protecting the nuclear unit for all its members.

An entire poetics of space

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Casa Yvonne rigorously aims to blend well-assimilated contemporary culture with that of Mexicos past. Synthesis and dynamism can be found in all its building systems, spatial layouts and proportions; in its modern everyday practicality. Whats important here is substance, not decorative whimsy; essential forms and functions that really work. When architecture and the building process are treated with sensitivity, intelligence and passion the result is an entire poetics of space. Extending architectures metaphors to the water, letting one reflect the other as happens here at Casa Yvonne, provides a mirror for musing on spatial relations, but also on the priorities of life itself. In their real estate and building endeavors for clients and investors, the constellation of projects that make up Integrated Development Services impressive portfolio, Casa Yvonne is a brightly shining star.

Romance, Poetry... and a Piano

Hacienda del Amoro 2008 San Jos del Cabo, Querencia M. Dean Jones, Architectural Design MCA Proyecto y Construccin, Construction Arturo Ponce de Len e Ivette vila Barragn, Collaborators R. Flelkner Associates, Inc. Interior Design Oasis Landscaping, Landscape Design

Hacienda del Amorio belongs to a Los Cabos residential community, but once you walk inside, you completely forget the surrounding geography until youre back outdoors, facing the sublime ocean view from the pool and terraces. Upon entering the exterior courtyard through an iron gate from the motor court, you are welcomed by a cascading cantera (quarry stone) fountain, surrounded by lush plantings. When you enter the home through massive wooden doors, you have many choices in terms of experiences. You can go straight through to the pool terrace or you can wander through the home with no local frame of reference traveling instead to Mexicos center, maybe the Valle de Bravo, maybe San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato; or to such western states as Michoacn and Jalisco, particularly their respective towns of Ptzcuaro and Tapalpa.
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Hacienda del Amorios personality is definite, unmistakable; thanks to the firm hands of architect Dean Jones and his associate Kaeso Maas who designed the home. Thanks also to Antonio Carrera and the MCA team who were responsible for building the home, as well as adding all the charm of its finish work. Together, they achieved a fine combination of traditional Mexican architecture and contemporary style: diversity that not only met the clients high expectations, but solved various sitespecific topological and climatic concerns. These related primarily to Los Cabos own diversity, its changeable weather patterns over sea and desert. Dean Jones explains:
Every development has its own design guidelines: our planning takes these criteria into account, along with each clients wishes. The guidelines are somewhat flexible, permitting us to give property owners varied and interesting exterior and interior spaces. Whenever possible we also design with passive cooling in mind. Constant mechanical air conditioning is unnecessary when we let coastal breezes do their part. Designing homes to allow natural cooling through the use of convective air movement saves our clients a significant amount in utility costs. An added benefit in a home designed for natural cooling is the continual replenishment of fresh air indoors, and yet another very real benefit is the lack of noise from mechanical air conditioning.

of autonomous areas united by stone. Indeed, if there is a leitmotif for this design, its the lavish use of rock in all its permutations: quarry stone, flagstone and carved masonry, local rocks cut by hand or machine. A house clad in stone: with stone columns, floors, walls, fireplaces, frames, lintels, fountains. Wood and tile roofing serve as counterpoints. Architect and Contractor Antonio Carrera, who was in charge of the construction work, comments:
This house has very fine finish work the quarry stone is outstanding, all the columns, baseboards and moldings are made in large sections, sometimes of just one piece. The floors are equally painstakingly crafted. The wall finish involved arduous work because the stone had to be put together like a puzzle, without mortar and without gaps and taking into account that some of these walls are load bearing.

interior spaces, are the areas that most reflect the romance for which the estate is named. The indoor/outdoor architecture and magnificent views of the Sea of Corts create a romantic mood that clamors for poetry. Nothing more is needed but comfortable rustic wood-and-leather equipal chairs, and conversation enlivened by tequila. Each component here has its very own beauty, but together they evoke the patio of a quintessentially Mexican mountain home. At the center of the landscaped interior courtyard is the quarry stone fountain with its clean, cool cascade of water. It is surrounded by shade-giving ficus trees and broad-leafed aralias, green as shiny limes. On one side of the courtyard, we come upon one of the most elegant features of all: a covered open-air passageway, its tiled peaked roof supported by wooden posts and beams. Its floor plan is wide enough to accommodate two graceful wicker benches. This outdoor passageway connects two casitas with the garage, and the guest quarters above it. Back in the home, the central part of the living area is symmetrically divided by a wide corridor; the artistry of its dry stacked stone walls providing ephemeral sensations of antiquity and solidity. One end of this axis has a door leading onto the pool terrace and focusing on the spa. At the other end, the main entrance doors offer a view of the the courtyard,
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As for the tiled roofs, they are a series of architectural feats. Gabled, cross-gabled and hipped, they crown the house and announce its outer beauty. From a distance, climbing the wild Querencia hills virtually soaring, at those heights the solid tapestry of these roofs is a poem to spatial geometry, punctuated by airy cubic forms. Leading indoors, the expansive pool area and adjacent terraces, well-shaded from the sun, are definitely among Hacienda del Amorios great triumphs. These areas and their connection through disappearing walls to the

The structural and stylistic solutions are so unusual that we can speak of Hacienda del Amorio as a succession

the fountain and the whole architectural complex. Turning either left or right at the entryway you are led to various gathering places, each with its own personality and function. To the right is the leisurely charm of a living room with a quarry stone fireplace; to the left is the dining room with its own small salon, featuring another fireplace and a lovely piano. What musical repertoire might best suit this mansion? Poulenc, Ravel, Ponce, Debussy, Satie? Perhaps Liszt, Schumann, Chopin, Mozart? For the moment, it remains a mystery. Hacienda del Amorio is full of charm and goodwill for inhabitants and guests: the spacious bedrooms all have their own baths, walk-in closets and distinctively fine finishes. The luxury kitchen invites any lover of fine dining to a truly gourmet experience. This tour must come to an end, and no better place than the terrace; which for privacy is laid out along the full length of the interior faade. It is built in three sections with the center, its ceiling finished in adobe tile, serving as the corridors turning point: the lateral areas are wider, providing space for a great room and dining area with reed ceilings to create textured plays of sunlight. The whole terrace is furnished for delightful outdoor living facing the pool which beckons you to take a dip, and the infinite Sea of Corts with all its magic and history.

A romantic mood that clamors for poetry

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Legendary El Dorado
El Dorado, Golf and Beach Club San Jos del Cabo e group de Mxico, Land Planning, Landscape Architecture Bob Thompson, Landscape Architect Irene Bustos, Director e group Mxico

El Dorado lives on in Los Cabos: a region basking in the suns golden glow, once a mythic land whose legends lured adventurers from every part of the globe; now a renowned resort destination. And legends still draw travelers from all over to the romance and adventure of Los Cabos: today they seek the bounty of the sea and beauty of the landscape, fabulous weather and unforgettable sunsets, world-class golf and fishing, and an incomparable easygoing lifestyle. Here the sea is clear green at the shore with frothy white seafoam, and bright blue along the horizon. The sand is like a variegated golden carpet caressing your feet, while the breeze refreshes sun-tinted skin. Mexican artist Joaqun Sorolla, master of seascapes, would have delighted in painting these tawny sand dunes, these flashes of light on sun-dappled rock. El Dorados green terraces, pathways, stone walls and chimneys echo Gaud in Barcelona; how he elevated architecture to fantasy.
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A sculpted landscape cultivated by skilled hands wielding drafting tools, paper and ink, hammer and chisel and blacksmiths anvil; its Africanstyle palapas the most authentic to be found anywhere.

the Valley Forward Association, and the Urban Land Institute. Bob Thompson, principal of e group, and Irene Bustos, director of e group Mxico, tell us that the concept for El Dorado was inspired by the isle of Sardinia, an Italian province in the middle of the Mediterranean. Sardinia, in Mexico? In Baja California Sur? After extensive research, the project first materialized in a book establishing the stylistic features of that island and their applicability to Los Cabos; in particular to El Dorado. The book, like an illuminated manuscript of sketches and photographs, details each material, finish and color; down to the type of nails to be used for the carpentry. Irene notes that El Dorado set a new trend in local residential communities, and the bold risks they took at the beginning turn out to have been brilliant decisions. Now the developments profile against the sky is so distinctive

El Dorado is one of fifteen distinguished developments by Discovery Land Company, an Arizona- based firm whose goal is to locate the refinements of the good life amid the most pristine natural surroundings. For its part, e group was selected to design and carry out the vision for El Dorado: a fortuitous choice because its professional team is noted for an environmentally and aesthetically sensitive outlook. With 32 years experience, e group has conducted projects in the U.S., Indonesia, Philippines, China, Costa Rica and Panama as well as Mexico; and has received the recognition of such organizations as the American Society of Landscape Architects,

The landscape architect who paints with these vibrant hues

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that no sign is needed to mark the entrance: El Dorados stone-clad lighthouse suffices. Everywhere the landscape is gracious and restrained, never overstated: imaginative design, organic forms blending into the rock; no two chimneys alike, roofs topped by gardens instead of tiles. Greenery is so important at El Dorado that the botanical palette became a determining factor. Striking a balance between preserving plant species and aesthetic vision was crucial. The concept of the gardens is Mediterranean with a tropical touch: accents are provided by green palm fronds, tinged in blue; aromatic frangipani and red bursts of poinciana. Bob Thompson, the landscape architect who paints with these vibrant hues, gestures toward the golf course: the many green tones of its rolling contours are accented by brushstrokes of red and white, in a colorful celebration worthy of Monet.

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A Breath of Paradise
Casa el Sueo 2007 San Jos del Cabo, Caleta Palmilla Lorenia Riva Palacio, Architect Luis Ral Romo Carrillo, Civil Engineer DYC Design and Construction R R C, Architecture and Construction Tropical Landscape, Landscape Design

Working closely with their discerning clients was essential when architect Lorenia Riva Palacio and engineer Ral Romo, directors of DYC Design and Construction, undertook the Casa el Sueo project. The complexity of the work, in both dimensions and details, required imaginative design and meticulous structural work, which bore two marvelous results: a grand residence spread out over three lots, and a lasting friendship between the DYC company and the property owners. The core of the project was an estate that had been acquired earlier, to which two adjacent lots were then added; so the architects first goal was to integrate and unify existing and new spaces. Her second mandate, perhaps the more far-reaching one, was to achieve an elegant home with an authentically Mexican spirit, by means of clean lines and functional architecture.
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The final task was to develop interiors in accordance with the concept of a Mexican home: using the most refined and original products and materials to be found throughout the republic. Anyone visiting Casa el Sueo invariably attests to the excellence of the responses to these challenges. This structure surpasses the usual re s i d e n tial measurements, as it encompasses two large bedroom sections plus open areas: a patio with a fountain, three swimming pools, a tennis court and three palapas. The first section contains the great room, dual kitchensone in plain sight and another hidden behind the first, and the dining area; in addition to the owners manorial bedroom, which sets the tone for the entire floorplan. In a free-standing but contiguous building are the guest bedrooms, a gym and an office. From the great room one reaches the terrace with its pool, and immediately ahead a lovely patio with a quarry stone fountainwithout being actually in the middle of the property, it fulfills a symbolic central role. There we can head toward the estates second section, composed of five self-sufficient suites and another roofed area with a second living room, dining room and kitchen.

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An architectural project must always demonstrate functional and efficient structural solutions, and Casa el Sueos entailed a thorough topographic analysis. Optimal advantage was made of the lands varying levels, retaining walls were built, and the size and orientation of the buildings were matched to local wind-directions. By also addressing the owners extensive list of specific needs and interests, DYC was able to fine-tune unifying solutions for the whole property. Moving through Casa el Sueo is something like exploring a palace: the surroundings are so breathtaking that you dont even notice the distances youre covering, especially as you tour the luxurious open spaces and palapas. Among these is one which the architect has conceptually designated an infinity beach. The palapa, rising on the side of a gently sloping hill, thus faces an extraordinary seascape, and one may lounge in a well-shaded hammock admiring the view for as long and as far as one wishes. The floor is not of quarry stone or marble, but of sand brought from the coast, inspiring a sensation of being at the beach, just a few steps from the breaking waves. The difference here is the sybaritic pleasure of a hammock in the shade, privacy, and the fresh breezes. A breath of paradise.

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The five suites completing Casa el Sueo allow friends their own spatial autonomy, but allow access to convivial and open areas. Baths are spacious and pleasant, their tubs inviting pure relaxation in a scrupulously designed ambience where furnishings and fixtures stimulate the imagination. For pampering the palate and elevating the mood, each suite has appliances for preparing a delicious pot of coffee at any time of day, and all the tableware necessary for serving a gourmet repast. The finishes and interior design were an exciting and stimulating chapter in the construction of this residence. The decorator and architect made various trips to the interior of Mexico to select all the estates most authentic decorative elements; the owner also traveled to view and study countless Mexican homes. Their expeditions took them to Aguascalientes, Jalisco and especially Guanajuato, where they immersed themselves in hacienda style: the colors and textures of baths, of natural elements; adobe and rock, clay and quarry stone and wrought iron. They came to know the dedication and talent of Mexicos craftspeople who know no limits when it comes to creating pieces that will satisfy the most discriminating taste, objects custom-

made for specific rooms, imprinted with the homeowners style but with the soul of the timeless earth. These were trips for understanding and exchange between two cultures, further honoring Casa el Sueos construction with a sense of reciprocal learning:
Because the clients wishes genuinely matched our vision, we showed them Mexicos riches and they absorbed colors, textures of stone and flooring; embracing and coming to understand what Mexican architecture is all about. A large part of the homes success has to do with its owners being such marvelous and attentive people.

But perhaps Casa el Sueos real essence is its devotion to admiring the landscape: at the end of the house tour we come upon a natural glen transformed into a garden, between the golf course and the beach. All the palapas and open terraces are arranged in order to enjoy natures beauty, through an entire vocabulary of sensual delights. During the day, the endless sea plays with the lofty clouds; at sunset colors magically spill across the horizon; at night, with the darkness barely alleviated by small luminarias, the celestial vault unfurls its starry tapestry. And this is why its called Casa el Sueo, dream house and house of dreams.

To enjoy natures beauty, through an entire vocabulary of sensual delights

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Pale Beauty
Casa G 2008 San Jos del Cabo, El Dorado Constructora MALVER, Architecture and Construction Miguel ngel Arce Lpez Velarde, Civil Engineer President Federico Guillermo Martnez Garca, Architect Director Carlos Gilberto Lira lvarez, Architect Director of Custom Homes Casa Paulina, Interior Design Cabo Systems/Ultra Audio, Media Systems Iluminacin Planeada, Lighting Design Tropical Landscape, Landscape Design

For MALVER, this project represented the everchallenging goal of providing discriminating homeowners with the most distinctive homes. All clients have lists of their own requirements, and Casa Gs residents were pleased to entrust their wishes to the design and construction talents of a firm which more than granted them. What might have seemed a limited lot size presented no obstacle to achieving a house with roomy interiors and a wide open terrace facing the ocean, built to be enjoyed. Along with being restrained and elegant, Casa Gs architecture is both delicate and beautiful.

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The spirit of the estate is expressed in clean, simple lines using warm but very pale colors to encourage a dialogue of light and water. Along with masterful architecture and construction, MALVER left its imprint here with refined finishing touches; proudly artisanal and custommade, as gorgeous as they are unique. The firm is known for details, from the barely-noticeable to the absolutely grand, that add charm to its buildings. Wood is used at Casa G in ways to highlight the estates contemporary theme, with natural-finish beams complementing the colors of walls and flooring; with wood also gracing upper terrace railings as well as the entire outdoor palapa structure. The rest of the woodwindows, doors, bathroom fixtures and fireplace detailshas clean outlines, finished in darker tones to contrast beautifully with paler shades and highlight the homes overall sophistication. Casa Gs great room resoundingly celebrates the important Los Cabos concept of outdoor living, integrating home and landscape with an enormous bay window that runs the entire width of the complex. With its sliding doors, you can be comfortably indoors while simultaneously enjoying the beach, cool breezes, and ever-changing beauty of the seascape.

In the sum of its parts, Casa G has the spirit of an artistic dwelling, with its beautifully balanced and visually commanding finishes; its bedrooms looking out over the ocean and their fabulous sybaritic baths. The master baths starkly white curvilinear tub has rose petals floating in it, and the second bedrooms bath boasts a flat bronze sculpture whose green leaves crown a mosaic marble tub. The kitchen, designed on a scale to provide all the room a gourmet chef might need, is separate from the great room but joins the terrace palapa to create an indoor-outdoor cooking and dining area, truly functional and inordinately beautiful. The dining room, under the shade of the palapa, seems to float gently upon the sea. Naturally, Casa G was built to fulfill its owners stipulations; the pool, for example, while recreational, also honors their love of swimming: long and narrow, like Olympic lanes. As for other matters of taste, their private screening room is sumptuously furnished, and equipped with such state-of-the-art technology as climate controls. The only thing left to mention is the truly singular upstairs terrace, a wide open space between two bedrooms that overlooks the sea, enchanting the heart and exalting the soul.

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Casa Gs architecture is both delicate and beautiful

Kaleidoscope
Casa Salida del Sol 2008 San Jos del Cabo, Querencia Ivn Cota Lpez, Architectural Design Arquitectos Cota S.C. ARQCO, Construction Tulasi, Landscape Design

A brisk wind rustles the gauzy fabric that surrounds the bed like a holy veil. The wooden four-poster supporting a palm palapa is tranquility incarnate, protecting the inner peace of those who meditate here. Human hustle and bustle, which during the day reach even this sanctuary, are transformed into transcendental focus. Intense sunlight mirrored on the sea might blind anyone obstinate enough to gaze upon it, but here it glows as a metaphor for spiritual liberation. At any hour, the sound of waves from the immense sea is borne like a powerful mantra on the salt-splashed wind. Night or day, upon leaving this open-air refuge, one returns to the others with equilibrium renewed, well-being sparkling in a warm smile and attentive look.

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Yes, join the others ambling around the wide terrace, bordered by gardens and a wall leading into the house, where a large transparent sliding door is a nearly-invisible passage between two worlds. The terrace is an open space adjoining all the most convivial areas: the fireplace, living room and dining room. On cool breezy evenings, you can relax before the primal fire; any time of day there is the playful adventure of a kaleidoscope, the center of attention at whimsical get-togethers. Or, you could read one of the lovely art books sitting on the coffee table, or rest from workaday weariness in an overstuffed white armchair: take three more steps and the quintessential dining room offers a daily parade of culinary delights. With its expansive rhythms, this terrace embodies good living.

From the terrace you then reach the pool, with a barbecue grill alongside it as another testament to fine dining: an architectural brainstorm has connected it to the indoor kitchen, and there are two large pass-through windows for serving. The grill, its bar and a yoga zone are all shaded by the palapa, evoking this natural Mexican coastal setting. Who mentioned that the pool is being guarded by a sea turtle? Watching its imaginary odyssey carries you right back to the ocean. Will it always live here? You wont know until you dive into the refreshing swimming pool and have a quiet talk with

rock bound Chelonia, while it treads water in quick, strong, rhythmic strokes. The turquoise of this interior sea, glittering and reflecting the sky, bestows a tranquil silence that invites you to float soundlessly and be revitalized. The pool is the hub of this home, a spatial center certainly but also a point for dialogue between the estates inhabitants and visitors. The pool, a watery bridge, protects the privacy of the hosts, their friends and family on one side is the owners master suite, and on the other the guest quarters. These noble rooms have impressive views of the ocean, and each bedroom has its own bath.

The turquoise of this interior sea

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Exterior corridors are furnished for enjoying the landscape, and there is a communal game and t.v. room with separate access to the street. Casa Salida del Sol is full of distinctive Mexican touches, providing immediate visual gratification and lighthearted charm. The first to appear, through double entry doors and framed by tileroofed corridors, is the Mexican patio: at its center is a quarry stone fountain surrounded by flowering plants, so lush that they tumble into the hallway. While this is the entrance to the house, it also seems to be a romantic hideaway for avowals of undying love to which an aged wooden bench will attest. Mexicos central region is represented by Pueblan talavera, glazed ceramic pottery highlighted in glorious tile work. Talavera inlay adorns the fireplace, the patio fountain, the wet bar by the grill, the fire pit and flowerpots; its colorful and symmetrical floral motifs appear in bathrooms, mirror frames, soap dishes and washstands.

Since the owners chose all the talavera in the house, we should also mention that other meticulous architectural details include wall finishes to showcase the couples favorite art objects. Casa Salida del Sol was created for its inhabitants when they decided to live permanently in Los Cabos, and their home would need to meet all their everyday needs while rising to the occasions of family life and relaxation. Architect I vn Cotas design triumphed by managing to match Los Cabos architectural standards to the couples own style with an orchard a n d d e l i c a t e h e r b p l a n t i n g s , f o r example, and by assuring the privacy essential to sociable outdoor living. Casa Salida del Sol speaks well of its owners joy and openheartedness, their interest in being with friends and family, and their personal approach to life: looking out over the vast ocean.

Mexican Accents
Surez Segu Interior Design Adriana Surez, Interior Designer Alicia Segu, Interior Designer San Jos del Cabo MCA Proyecto y Construccin, Architecture and Construction: Casa Lolita and Casa la Osa

Adriana Surez impeccable manners accentuate her natural ease, and her stride is purposeful as she spins her wellconsidered thoughts. Her surroundings are equally agreeable, with functional and aesthetic perfection their goal. In her professional life, her distinguishing stamp is Made in Mexico: though she creates, and her firm supplies, only the most painstakingly crafted, exquisitely tactile pieces. God forgive me when I say that my hands are divinely inspired, but the plain truth is that I dont understand this gift, didnt ask for it; its just a blessing from above. When I take wood and speak gently to it, caress it, warm it in my hands, ask permission to carve it Does it hurt? I dont actually know; the wood doesnt shriek though sometimes a tear drops. Thats only because its newly-cut and the sap sticks to my fingers, which doesnt bother me; after all, thats its nature.

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In Mexico City Surez formed a partnership with friend and schoolmate Alicia Segu, and there they received their first interior design commissions: later they took on jobs in Cancn and central Mexicos Valle de Bravo. After a season of particularly intense work, Surez arrived in Los Cabos for some rest and recreation, but immediately postponed her vacation when she was invited to design interiors for the Querencia golf club. Since then, work has sought her and Alicia out; never the other way around. Their passion for interior design, and Adrianas fine woodwork, are always in demand for putting the final touches on a long list of residential projects. When the wood says yes, I take up the chisel and start to whittle away, little by little Im in no hurry, but soon my feet disappear in a carpet of woodshavings and I look like one tree embracing another of my kind. I closely follow the drawing Ive been given: for example, flowers arent easy, but with some patience they start to blossom; as if Id carried armfuls of them from the country and transplanted them here in the panel. But mainly I keep carving and

carving, first with the gouge chisel, then the mortise, sometimes a carving knife, and then an awl for the detail-work. Rather than impose their own tastes, Adriana and Alicia make sure that everything is selected with the client in mind: they sign their work with a subtle flourish, often a leitmotif for the accessories, but that is all. Their aim is to provide colors and textures, for example, that reflect the personalities of the homes residents; those who will actually live with and enjoy these designs. The challenge is knowing how to interpret a clients desires, and then seeing that everything materializes beds, closets, tables, chairs, chests of drawers, dressing tables, curtains, rugs, cushions, bedspreads, wall hangings, towels, dinnerware, silverware, and more added touches that bring the owners yearnings alive, detail by detail. Once land is acquired and construction completed, interior design is the culmination of the long process of achieving a true dream house. There are several Mexicans among Surez Segu Interior Designs select clientele, and that is gratifying to the

associates, but the largest percentage of their jobs are contracted by U.S. homeowners. Clients express their wishes in an initial interview, and almost all want a Mexican home: a space reflecting what Mexico is to them, evoking traditional haciendas, and fine handcrafts. Some owners, naturally, have other ideas; of something much more modern, perhaps: Adriana and Alicia are just as enthusiastic about these, but will also a d d s o m e M e x i c a n accents, and these will always re f l e c t t h e b e s t t h e m o s t f i nely-wrought, the highest quality Mexico has to offer. What Im working on now is for a large home, and Im very pleased because my work its for a fireplace compares favorably with everything around it. Its refined, and so it complements the rest of the dcor. The drawings show a seashell in the middle and garlands of thick leaves on either side: the mantel itself is long and deep, made to measure for the chimney flue. This is an exclusive commission, something Ill never do again, so God willing it has to be g o r g e o u s .

Evoking traditional haciendas, and fine handcrafts

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On the majority of their jobs, the firms involvement starts with the interior architecture flooring design and carpentry, ironwork, wall and ceiling finishes so they can harmonize the structure with its furnishings; balancing quality and style, indoors and out. It is important to begin work during the building phase, as this longrange view is what helps to strike the anticipated tone. If they start when the house is already built, they first study the architectural rationale, then design according to the predominant style; which is almost always Mexican. When theyre done, the results are invariably warm and welcoming proof that hacienda style is much more than big rooms with a sense of history. Surez Segu Interior Design understands its clients, people accustomed to the best of the best: as professionals responding to homeowners requests, the partners give the very best of themselves. This, they are sure, is what helps their clients fall in love with Mexicos work ethic and methods, in everything from construction to interior cabinetry, furnishings and design.

A Mountainside Pool
Casa Colina 2009 San Jos del Cabo, Cabo Colorado Jos Miguel Monroy, Architect Federico Giner Herrera, Architect Monroy Arquitectos, Architecture and Construction

Only a team of true professionals could set a house upon what at first glance seems to be a most complicated building lot. But Monroy Architects is a firm of seasoned builders: they responded to every difficulty with intelligent and serious design, to create an admirable home. Casa Colina, in Cabo Colorado, has three levels built into the slope of a rocky hill. As a beach house it invites repose, and as a home with many comfortable details, it encourages conviviality. Architect Jos Miguel Monroy talks about the projects challenges:
As in all Los Cabos homes, we wanted to maximize the views, especially those along the beach; we always hope that every space will have the best possible outlook on the ocean, so that the water interacts with the architecture. Another goal, linked to the first, is to take full advantage of the lot, even in this dramatic terrainwhich means making less aggressive incursions, creating an agreeable relationship with the surrounding landscape and thinking also of neighbors, pedestrians and passing motorists.

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Unlike residences that are custombuilt for a particular client, Casa Colina was designed even before it was sold, which meant ensuring that certain areas were especially versatile which would allow them to be used according to the needs of the eventual buyer. Still, the home already amply fulfills the recreational requirements of a resort home; jacuzzi, swimming pool, fire pit and grill on a spacious terrace, open areas permitting interiors to extend outside the walls; the coastal scenery with its natural enchantments. The projects visual prospectus is clearfrom the main entrance onward, it takes advantage of the seascape, which creates a memorable impression the moment you enter the house. Only afterward do you notice the great room with its area for socializing, the dining room and built-in kitchen. Attached to the vestibule is a small bar, and along its hallway one comes upon the first of five bedrooms. Another of Casa Colinas important features is the entire concept for the bedrooms: instead of a master suite supplemented by various secondary sleeping chambers, all are of the same high quality and importance. On the second floor, reached via a

roomy staircase, are three equally commodious bedrooms, each with a complete bath and dressing room. There are no distinctions between them, even their gorgeous ocean views are perfectly matched. Each bedroom is connected to the common terrace by sliding pocket doors, which also can provide a sense of being outdoors, in direct contact with wind and sun. On the bottom floor is the fifth bedroom, self-sufficient with its own kitchenette, bath and terraceand its own fabulous view. In this quintessential resort home, the terrace is masterfully designed to offer a whole range of leisure activities while taking advantage of Los Cabos stupendous weather and the beauty of its coast. Without downplaying any other area, the terrace is the most important part of the housethe place where the residents spend most of their time, living lavishly in the great outdoors. The pool is particularly notable, as its built above one of the second-floor bedrooms. A rc h i t e c t F e d e r i c o G i n e r p o i n t s o u t : The pool is completely cantilevered over the bedroom; to build a pool like this is a structural challenge, of course, but also, because of waterproofing for example, a practical one.

Gorgeous ocean views

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Miguel Monroy and Federico Giners long experience as architects allows them to build a one-of-a-kind structure like thiswhich must consider not only materials and surface finishes, but also the movement of the earth itself, which may directly affect the buildings behavior. Monroy explains:
Wanting to maximize the beauty of a place, we can indulge our own whims a bitso, as a structural challenge, well build on complicated lots and get ourselves in trouble with the cost accountant as we proceed through each construction phase. We work as a team, with various people involved throughout the process: some of them you may never see, but all are crucial to the project.

From outside, Casa Colina is beautiful, distinctive and welcoming. Thanks to the building lot, it has two front elevations or faades: the first, giving access to the house, invites one to discover whats inside; along the second we notice all the splendor of the three levels, emerging from the russet rock of the mountain. This second faade is a remarkable achievement, as it subtly draws upon curved, organic shapes to incorporate tall stone retaining walls into those of the bedrooms, and around the terraces. The aim of this home is to celebrate the scenery, and it does so by emerging in all its elegance and grace from the landscape itself.

Facing the Sea

Casa Lolita 2008 Cabo San Lucas, Cabo del Sol Antonio Carrera, Architectural Design MCA Proyecto y Construccin, Construction Surez Segu, Interior Design

Swimming with all its might, dodging wave after wave, the body is indefatigable; with plenty of energy left over to then dive into the lively depths of the pool, yielding to the water as it caresses every inch of skin. Suddenly jumping out, happily descending the staircase, stretching out where no commotion from inside the house reaches its ears, the relaxed physique yields to the suns rays; letting them toast it a bit, drench it in color. Who is this fortunate being? Where is he or she having so much fun? The who, we dont know; the where, yes at Casa Lolita, a beautiful Los Cabos estate.

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Casa Lolita, in Cabo del Sol, is baronial and romantic, but also modern, functional, and pleasurable to the max a beach house pure and simple, but with the unmistakable air of a Mexican hacienda, manifest here in stone and wood; in patio, hall and archway. Lets explore each part From the street the symmetrical faade, clad in quarry stone, discreetly announces the refinements of the interior. The quadrangle with its curved molding and grand doorway provides a center for the two oblong structures that flank it. Large matching stone planters guard the entrance path, staunchly greeting whoever knocks on the door; its wrought iron an interplay of strength and delicacy. We are met in a hallway that tempers the heat outside and lightens our mood its floor, also of quarry stone, creates a gentle transition from the street. Notable here are the walls built of small flagstones, creating a cool and restful chamber with a wooden bench artfully placed to offer guests a quiet perch. Loveliness everywhere: Casa Lolitas outstanding visual impact owes much to

the way it duplicates the polychromatic subtleties of sand, and artfully uses the myriad tones of luminous quarry stone along with other, redder rocks highly textured, rough and beautiful. Also, of course, the perfect paint color choices, partial to all shades of yellow; with wood brown, matte black providing counterpoint; gracefully highlighted in beams, doors, windows and furnishings. Casa Lolita speaks warmly of family and friendship which seems to be the best explanation for its seven bedrooms. The first part of the home itself there are two, as youll soon see contains the traditional communal areas: the great room with its exquisite fireplace, the ample kitchen to awaken culinary appetites, the elegantly dressed dining room; along with the master bedroom and its splendid ocean view. The terrace, open in front but with a shade-giving roof, segues to the outdoors: thanks to the fresh breezes it receives, its spectacular seascapes and comfortably arranged furniture, it is a pleasure zone to encourage al fresco living.

Casa Lolitas masterful use of space is particularly apparent as we leave the terrace to explore the expansive zone where architectural design has taken full advantage of the lands different levels to create three interrelated areas: each beautiful, and of course, functional. The first, and closest, is a patio with the pool at one end; its palapa bar serving as a vestibule that also accomodates recliners for sunbathing. The second area, and second part of the house the family and guest bedrooms is certainly what most reminds us of a hacienda. The overhanging roof of the rectangular building is supported by columns and wide baskethandle arches, also creating a long open passageway, with decorative railings. An angled corridor extends out from the building, open to the sky and wide enough for a fire pit, and armchairs arranged to face the sea; all creating a balanced and singular effect.

Casa Lolita speaks warmly of family and friendship

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The third area is located on another level of the property and is reached by descending an exterior staircase adjoining the pool. The pools retaining wall becomes a waterfall, a beautiful flowing cascade that can be enjoyed from the jacuzzi placed in the middle of a large garden: this is the last room in the house, with an agreeable conversation area around a second fire pit. The design of family and guest bedrooms also yielded a ground floor service area, tv room and gym; all of which are accessible from here. Finally, upon reaching the property line, a path opens up to the beach, so close that one can run right into the surf.

Casa Lolita is a stunning example of residential design by architect Antonio Carrera, whose basic approach is to listen to clients until he fully understands their every need: something which he has surely achieved here.
Casa Lolita has striking good looks, great bone structure and proportions. Our client never skimped on the finish work; theres quarry stone molding everywhere, and the masonry was laborious. This is a house with countless and varied details, inside and out; the quality of the surface finishes is optimal, and that shows. This is a magnificent, beautifully constructed, house.

Compass Rose
Casa Maravilla 2008 Buenavista, Rancho Leonero Ivn Cota Lpez, Architectural Design Arquitectos Cota S.C. ARQCO, Construction Tulasi, Landscape Design

Daily trials and tribulations slip away as we walk along a white sand beach to the rhythmic song of waves splashing the dock. Lost in paradise, friends ask each other which way is north. The newly arrived crew is perplexed, and why wouldnt they be? Theyve just hit the most beautiful port on earth. Admiring the sea, they also take in the sky, another whole ocean to sail with a slow, enraptured look because at that moment the sun is headed for the other side of the world, leaving lofty, golden-streaked, coloratura clouds in its wake; vast directional signals pointing toward heaven. Though trapped between sea and sky, we earth-bound mortals still have sea monsters and flying dragons to transport us, rejoicing, through their billowing firmaments. Here the days catch represents a sea battle, the sailors two formidable captives hanging from heavy rods: swordfish and sailfish, fantastic creatures that still seem to be thrashing, delicacies for the lucky seamen who have landed in the paradise of Buenavista.

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The compass rose in the terrace floor, midway between lounge chairs and grill, places the cardinal points at the feet of friends who are now focused on the beauty of a small inlet; the pool, standing in as an improbable beacon. Even when submerged in its cool waters, this is the place for scanning the horizon: ahead the Gulf of Corts brilliant blues, with a sculpted hill off to one side. Casa Maravilla has been redesigned by the architect who was also responsible for its construction. The house was first planned by another firm, but various circumstances led the owners to select Cota Lpez who confirms that the main mandate, given that the homeowners were excited about the initial architectural drawings, was to do something along the same lines, but with a distinctive impact that they would like even more. His blueprints take advantage of the plots ample size, and adapt themselves to the terrains ups and downs. Without overlooking the interiors charms its central great room, kitchen, bedrooms , the most striking zones are still the terrace

and courtyard patio, following the contours of the front of the house and an outdoor apartment which also accomodates a yacht. The patio offers a transition between entryway and house: adorned with small gardens built into the walls, it becomes the main area for socializing when brisk winds make the terrace off limits, so it has a fireplace, and a floorplan with designated spots for tables and easy chairs. The heart of the home offers everything necessary for comfortable daily living: the great room with its winecellar; kitchen, guest bedrooms and office. On the upper floor are the main family bedrooms, one distinguished by its private terrace and a luxe bath whose tub is aligned for a view over the ocean to the horizon. The architect points out:
What I like most is expanding vertical space: the area itself is not overly grand, but when you build up and up, doubling the ceiling height, it creates a whole other mood. Here, the pocket doors are all-important, as they seamlessly integrate inside and out, their panels opening up into panorama outside. one area where you can be indoors and still enjoy the

A view over the ocean to the horizon

Structural columns clad in quarry stone, and wrought iron, add to the sense of solidity indoors. The space is full of light, with many windows offering much-needed ventilation, and Ivn Cota spells out the importance of these two elements:
I always try to avoid shadowy interiors that way, theres no artificial lighting needed during the day; and besides, were in a hot climate, so crossventilation is absolutely necessary if we dont want to be gasping for breath.

Anything built along the coast inevitably sustains wear and tear from wind, salt and dampness, all requiring a regular maintenance regimen: at Casa Maravilla the exterior finishes are particularly designed to preclude onerous upkeep, without sacrificing elegance. For example, concrete beams mimic wood, and special plastic finishes protect the outside windows. Inside, the hallways boast niche-like visual finishes, where the eye is drawn, and can happily rest. At the residents request, a wall was recreated as a school of metallic fish: though static, they seem to be swiftly swimming toward a refuge among the rocks. Architect Ivn Cota Lpez, originally from La Paz, Baja California Sur, zealously guards the trust his clients place in him, and he knows from experience that there is no better recommendation than ones own conscientious work. His meticulous approach has garnered his clients praise, but above all their friendship.

Lamps and bulbs, tubes and tiny tubs of light

Casa Ciruelo 2003 San Jos del Cabo Jos Estrada Sotelo, Architectural Design Iluminacin Planeada, Lighting Design

The long parentheses of the sails, the torches and bonfires, call up five thousand years of civilization; more if one considers that scientific records date mans, homo sapiens, presence on earth to 160,000 years ago. The invention of the lightbulb required 200 years of trial and error after the discovery of electric current. In 1854 Heinrich Gbel built the first incandescent lamp, but it is Thomas Alva Edison who in 1877 took the first definitive steps toward developing the carbon-filament bulb. It seems to have taken him two years to perfect it and another to register it, in 1880. Marketing of the invention wasnt easy, with competitors disputing

Edisons patent, but that no longer matters: little by little the lights came on in every room; after him, darkness and night no longer kept humans from continuing their work or play at the end of the day. Lights, little lamps, bulbs, tubes and tiny tubs of light. Atop the corner table sits a wooden pedestal, a lamp base likely rescued from an antique shop; lusterless, distressed, a bit chipped, having no patina but a certain dignity, and crowned by a naked bulb. Edisons incandescence! Or, an artists shining talisman.

What does the light tell you about Los Cabos?

At times, too much. Sunset here is captivating; not as flamboyant as the dawn. In the afternoon everything is gorgeously colored, gilded; here the rock is tinged yellow, or truly golden, or pinkish all the warm shades. Im impressed by the lovely light-levels that suddenly appear, the exquisite tones yes, the light at sunset is what calls to me.

If its impossible to categorize which features of Fernandos workshop lend it the functionality of a design studio and efficiency of an executive boardroom, his house is just as intriguing: an intimate family space, it also serves as a palette for illuminating experiments and a fine example of what can be achieved in residential lighting.
My showroom has mainly been my home.

purposely stands on a lot with a plum tree, the ciruelo whose presence helped shape the house; now surrounded by a mini-jungle, lush vegetation that contributes its own freshness. This house, in this place, is atypical. By a magical brainstorm it has freed itself from the style that generally rules the development. The faade stands out not for its grand size, as one might expect, nor for any heavy ornamentation; on the contrary, what catches ones attention is its modular restraint smooth lofty walls, for example, lit at night to reveal their composite grace. And how does one gain access to Fernandos home? At the end of the path leading inside, its long inset stone trough evoking a purification ritual, you should knock gently: the rugged skin of the antique door shields a sanctuary for the senses.

Workplace sounds too strict, studio too indiscriminate, an office can be awfully impersonal and bureaucratic: so what do we call the space where Fernando works? His mania for collecting makes it a gallery, with art on the walls, excellent paintings and photographs; so striking they compel you to stop and take a look. As an architect of light, his base of operations bespeaks a professional who has mastered his craft; it elicits a sense of well-being that includes the delight of well-placed, unobtrusive they can be regulated from dim to bright luminarias.

When I set to work with clients I often invite them here for some wine, and somehow they begin to feel, to actually experience, what Im talking about. Because ultimately, lighting is totally subjective what is good illumination, how bright do you go, what are the right light levels? () You dont walk around a house with a light meter; its simply important to achieve a mood, a sensorial ambience, and so what do you want to achieve, what should we have here or there, and just when is light most needed?

Fernando is not reticent about proclaiming his love of the plant world: his Los Cabos residence

A sanctuary for the senses

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Inside, youll find all the rooms necessary for domestic life, but also hallways, walls and recessed niches to house the collected works of art. As an artisan in light, Fernando creates pleasant zones throughout; distinctive settings to stand out from the structural unit. This house is a double artistic feat, as it constantly refines two routes toward beauty: light and visual splendor. The extra high ceiling of the passagway leading to the stairs is dizzying, but we calm down as we climb the gray stone blocks that end in silence, thanks to the spareness of the total effect. There is just one canvas, in blues and reds, to suggest that we stop and contemplate, Who am I? Completing our tour, the most intense pleasure this house offers is found in the living room. Perfect light shines upon a nude goddess who, with arms upraised like folded wings, blesses everything with loveliness. The photograph that holds the taut-breasted divinity is in fact a magic spell: you shouldnt rely on it much, as gazing too long may make you see everything in a new light.

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ARQUITECTURA / ARCHITECTURE AHA Universo Avenida Central 160 Col. Ciudad Granja Zapopan, Jalisco, Mxico + 52 (33) 3627.5028 aha@ahauniverso.com www.ahauniverso.com ARKCO Arquitectura y Construccin Revolucin s/n entre Hidalgo y Matamoros Col. Matamoros Cabo San Lucas, BCS, Mxico + 52 (624) 143.7468 Fax: (624) 143.7469 rcontreras@arkco.com.mx administracion@arkco.com.mx www.arkco.com.mx Arquitectos Cota Calle Valerio Gonzlez 1342 Plaza del rbol, local 9. Col. Centro San Jos del Cabo, BCS, Mxico + 52 (624) 105.2790 Fax: (624) 105.2707 ivancota@arqco.ws www.arqco.ws Casa Colina miodunski@aol.com Casa Fryzer www.casafryzercabo.com www.bahiasuenos.com Constructora MALVER Miguel Hidalgo 1133 Col. Centro San Jos del Cabo, BCS, Mxico + 52 (624) 142.0505 Fax: (624) 142.0469 info@malver.com.mx www.malver.com.mx DYC Diseos y Construcciones R R C Calle Libertad, esquina Miguel A. Herrera, lote 16 Col. Lienzo Charro Cabo San Lucas, BCS, Mxico + 52 (624) 143.0413 Fax: (624) 172.0179 lorenia@rivapalacio.com IDS Integrated Development Services Benito Jurez 1717, esquina Miguel Hidalgo Interior Plaza Adriana Local 10 Col. Centro San Jos del Cabo, BCS, Mxico + 52 (624) 144.6507 Fax: (624) 144.6508 aogarrio@idscabo.com hminero@idscabo.com jzapata@idscabo.com www.idscabo.com MCA Proyecto y Construccin Av. Lzaro Crdenas s/n Cabo San Lucas, BCS, Mxico + 52 (624) 143.2030 Fax (624) 143.2032 acarrera@grupomca.com info@grupomca.com www.grupomca.com

M. Dean Jones architectmdj@earthlink.net www.mdeanjonesarchitect.com www.architectcabo.com Monroy Arquitectos Paseo San Jos y Baha las Palmas Plaza Caracol Local 3 Zona Hotelera San Jos del Cabo, BCS, Mxico + 52 (624) 142.2060 Fax (624) 130.7435 jmms@monroyarquitectos.com direccion@monroyarquitectos.com www.monroyarquitectos.com Vimar Contractors Plaza Nautilius local C-2 Cerro del Viga San Jos del Cabo, BCS, Mxico + 52 (624) 142.3664 Fax (624) 142.1696 cauduro106@prodigy.net.mx DESARROLLOS Y GOLF / DEVELOPMENTS & GOLF Grupo Vidanta Lzaro Cardenas 4070 Col. Camino Real Zapopan, Jalisco, Mxico 01 800 366.6600 contact@grupovidanta.com Querencia Aprivate golf club and residential community 1 Querencia Boulevard San Jos del Cabo,BCS, Mxico + 52 (624)145.6600, ext. 6867 Fax: (624)145.6671 mwoods@loscabosquerencia.com www.loscabosquerencia.com INTERIORISMO / INTERIOR DESIGN Balke & Associates LLC Las Tiendas de Palmilla 233 Fraccionamiento Palmilla Carretera Transpeninsular, km 7.5 San Jos del Cabo, BCS, Mxico + 52 (624) 144.6999 Fax: (624) 144.6991 1804 Stoney Brook Drive Suite 202 Houston, Texas 77063, USA (713) 532.2723 Fax: (713) 532.2721 aida.balke@balkeandassociates.com kelley.balke@balkeandassociates.com www.balkeandassociates.com Casa Paulina Plaza Paulina Morelos, esquina Comonfort Centro Histrico San Jos del Cabo, BCS, Mxico + 52 (624) 142.5555 Fax: (624) 142.2199 casapau@prodigy.net.mx Diaz de Luna Signature Plaza San Basilio, local 8-9 Cabo San Lucas, BCS, Mxico + 52 (624) 144.4983, 144.4976 diazdeluna@prodigy.net.mx www.diazdeluna.com

DIRECTORIO / DIRECTORY
M.M. ALVAREZ Diseo de Interiores Margarita lvarez lvarez San Carlos 12 Col. San ngel Mxico DF + 52 (55) 5550.6911 Fax (55) 5550.8948 mmalvarez@prodigy.net.mx www.disenommalvarez.com Surez Segu Diseo de Interiores Boulevard Mauricio Castro y Prolongacin 5 de Mayo Plaza Mardesol Local D, Col. 8 de Octubre San Jos del Cabo, BCS, Mxico + 52 (624) 142.0582 Desierto de los Leones, 1414-39 Col. Tetelpan, lvaro Obregn Mxico, DF + 52 (55) 5585.1069 adriana@suarezsegui.com alicia@suarezsegui.com www.suarezsegui.com ILUMINACIN / LIGHTING DESIGN Iluminacion Planeada Padre Juan de Ugarte 1341 Col. Mauricio Castro San Jose del Cabo, BCS, Mxico + 52 (624) 142.0895 fernando@ilumplan.com PAISAJISMO / LANDSCAPE e group Mxico Valerio Gonzlez, local 5 Plaza Tamarindo Col. 1 de mayo San Jos del Cabo, BCS, Mxico + 52 (624) 142.5727 irene@egroupinc.com www.egroupinc.com George W. Girvin Associates 2138 Fourth Street San Rafael, California, 94901, USA (415) 459.3443 Fax: (415) 459.7926 Office Manager colleenc@girvinassoc.net www.girvinassoc.net Tropical Landscape Lote B, Col. Santa Rosa San Jos del Cabo, BCS, Mxico + 52 (624) 142.1284 alejandro@tropical.com.mx adan@tropical.com.mx

Cabo Mood was printed in November 2009 in China. First edition of 5,500 copies: 4,000 copies for English edition and 1,500 copies for Spanish edition.