The Online Magazine for Traveling & Living in Baja
New Stories - Subscribe for FREE - Advertise - Contact
Custom Home Design in East Cape
Contemporary Design Blooms in the Desert
This beautiful new Baja Modern home is perched in the quaint town of Los Barriles, commonly known as “East Cape area of Baja Sur. Los Barriles is located in the southern-most part of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula and is a contemporary retreat balanced between the serenity of the dessert and the white sand beaches of the sparkling Sea of Cortez.
Casa Del Sol, a resort-style home developed by the California design and Development Company, (www.BajaModern.com ) sits prominently on a 10,000 square foot site overlooking the small Mexican town, Los Barriles, known for sport fishing, wind surfing, snorkeling, diving and kayaking. Positioned like a bright amber jewel crowning the bluff above the East Cape coastline, Casa Del Sol’s commanding presence is rivaled only by the transcendent desert landscape, the magnificently rugged mountains and sweeping, unobstructed views.
All who approach this growing resort area of Baja Sur, by land or by sea, feel the architectural impact. This more modern architecture is becoming more popular as the real estate boom in this area continues to grow. More and more people looking for Baja real estate are interested in something different and Baja Modern delivers just that.
Designed with an eye for large-scale entertainment and the laid-back lifestyle so sought after in Baja, Casa Del Sol features two master bedrooms, a sleeping loft with stunning views, a large custom pool, fountains, desert landscaping, private courtyards, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, luxurious outdoor cooking/dining areas, a poolside shower and cabana and large roof terraces with views of the beach and the village.
“We’ve designed everything with the vacationer in mind,” says Michael Blakemore, of Michael Blakemore Architects, Inc., the Laguna Beach, CA design firm that owns www.BajaModern.com . “Just kick off your shoes and relax poolside. We’ve taken care of everything else.”
Casa Del Sol features tall ceilings, large volume, continuously flowing spaces, strong indoor and outdoor relationship, and simple finishes, while still embracing the vibrancy of the styles and colors seen in native Mexican dwellings.
Expansive views of the Sea of Cortez surround the unique structure. To the East and Southeast of the custom-built home, turquoise water, sandy beaches, distant mountains, dramatic canyons and arroyos are exhibited like an Impressionist’s painting. The white sand of North Beach is only a short walk away.
Los Barriles has the charm and authenticity of a small Mexican village rather than the hustle of a tourist destination,” says Blakemore. “It’s close to La Paz and Cabo San Lucas, so we are close to markets, fine restaurants, a plethora of recreational options, modern health facilities and anything else you could ask for.”
The residence is designed with flexibility in mind, encouraging entertainment on a large scale, or more intimately with family and close friends. Distinctive features included with the two master bedrooms are sitting areas, one with poolside views, and the other with a private, landscaped courtyard. The bedrooms share a well-appointed bath with a circular shower. An additional half-bath is provided for guests. Adjacent to the bedrooms is a large wall of built-in bookcases to hold the vacation library.
The main living area is a spacious, open area, which comfortably seats eight. Dramatic vaulted ceilings and French doors open poolside. A large wood-burning fireplace anchors one end of the room, while a contemporary kitchen and dining area secure the other.
Adjacent to the main living area, a dramatic stairway rises toward a private loft with a sweeping view of the Sea of Cortez from the terrace. The loft has the flexibility to act as a private sitting area, office, media room, or additional sleeping area for overnight guests.
The landscape architect-designed gardens surround a large pool featuring a fountain spillway, in-water loveseats, suspended hammocks beneath a rustic trellis, and ample, shaded lounge areas poolside. At one end of the pool is an outdoor dining terrace with a fireplace.
Casa Del Sol’s poolside gardens feature low maintenance desert landscape juxtaposed against soft but hardy flowering plants. Lovely shaded courtyards with dappled sunlight, native cactus amid fountains and mature Palo Verde trees provide quite areas for relaxation, a unique courtyard for one of the bedroom suites.
Fully furnished, the retreat is a turnkey vacation home, inviting, relaxing and breathtakingly beautiful. All this, without the hassle associated with building a vacation retreat in Baja, Mexico.
The home is air conditioned with highly efficient A/C units, coupled with more passive methods of cooling such as fans, deep overhanging roofs, shade structures, and of course, the inviting pool.
The Tri –D panel, structural, insulated panel construction is more efficient than other building techniques. The panels are constructed of expanded polystyrene, wedged between two engineered sheets of eleven-gauge steel. The result is a system tested in hurricane-force winds of up to 220 miles per hour.
“Once these three elements are joined by state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, it effectively handles the sun and winds of the Baja Peninsula, anything nature can hand out” notes Blakemore. “The three-dimensional lightweight panel is one of the strongest building materials known to the trade.”
The integration of cutting-edge materials for greater efficiency and strength, and the use of green materials qualify Casa Del Sol as a true masterpiece of modern technology married to environmentally sensitive design. The home’s stunning architectural lines, its location nestled by the picturesque, Mexican fishing village and its unequaled vistas makes the BajaModern project a rare find.
“All of the logistics of building a home in another country are taken care of for the new homeowner,” says Blakemore, a California- and New York-licensed architect and graduate of the New School of Architecture in San Diego. “We have taken the essence of a traditional Mexican home and translated it into a state-of-the-art, turnkey vacation home.”
Casa Del Sol is available as a seasonal rental or for purchase separately or in conjunction with the adjacent Casa Jalapeño for use as a family compound, corporate retreat, in joint ownership with friends or as a vacation rental income property.
You may want the architect, Michael Blakemore of Baja Modern to design you a new home, commercial development or you may just want to purchase this turnkey home ready for you to move into right now.
