Colonial Mexican Architecture Reimagined ~ Merida, Mexico (Yucatan)

First of all, I'd like to apologize as it's come to my attention that my Email

RSS feed has been coming out in a jumbled mess.  I am trying my best to

fix this.  It's been a bit tough since Google has no support for Feedburner. 

Please stick with me a bit longer.  

One of my favorite shows is House Hunters International on HGTV.  This is

because it combines two of my favorite favorite past times:  travel and

design.  In December, HGTV aired an episode in Merida, Mexico which

is on the Yucatan peninsula (opposite side of Cancun.)  I'd never heard

really heard of Merida before.  It's actually a city of about 1 million people.

However, what makes it uniqe is it's old colonial center of town and the

fact that it is only 30 minutes from the beach.  On the outside, these

homes look "poor and run down", but expats have been moving there

and taking these neglected and run down colonial homes and renovating

them.  The result is astounding.  My jaw literally dropped seeing the inside

of some of these renovated homes.  It actually has inspired my significant

other and I to plan an Easter trip to Merida to seriously consider buying

property there.  As it's our first time to Merida, of course we have to

evaulate if we like it first.

This home is a gorgous home that has been renovated. 

The plants and landscaping is also outstanding.

Because Merida has tropical weather, it's very

much so indoor and outdoor living at it's finest.

My parents are from Malaysia so I know very

well what the weather is like and the fact that

most homes are not "air tight" like our homes in

the states are.  But my parents certainly did not

have a home they grew up in like this!

The colonial homes in Merida very typically have

18-20 feet ceilings.  The expats have carried

over the concept of open living to create large

and spacious rooms that are dramatic in their

height alone.

The French and the Spanish brought over their influences

during the colonial era.  From the Spanish also came

Andalusian influences which is why many of the traditional

kitchen designs in Merida look Andalusian in nature.

Andalusia also has heavy Moorish influences in their

architecture - so it seems almost natural to incorporate

moorish elements in their design.  Isn't the bathroom

above fantastic?

Here is that kitchen I was talking about.

The kitchen follows the lines of traditional kitchens in

Merida yet incorporates modern finishes and pasta

tiles (you can see on the back splash) that are hand

made in the Yucatan.

You can see just a hint of the Moorish influence in the arch.

Because the Yucatan peninsual has tropical weather, they don't use

rugs there very much - instead they lay down these fantatsic pasta tiles

in all sorts of patterns to serve as a "rug."

The ceilings and the walls in this living area is very traditional.

Isn't the paint job fantastic?  Do you notice the high walls to the left in this

photo?  All of the colonial homes have very high walls so even though the

living space is so open, there is no concern about privacy unless you live

next to a building even higher than yours ^_^

I'm totally drooling over this long wooden table and view. 

What a place this would be to live in!

Hope you enjoyed feasting your eyes on this home as

much as I did.  I'll be showing more homes in Merida

later on.

If any of you are interested, a reputable real estate agency

in Merida is Mexico International.  Eric Partney is an agent

there who is very knowledgable (and was the real estate

agent in the House Hunters International episode.)

Scandinavian Color Inspiration - Color on a White Background

Ever since we've the Scandinavian invasion from Ikea and H&M,

many of us can't seem to get enough of it.  While pure Scandinavian

design isn't for everyone, there are many elements of it that anyone

can incorporate into their own modern designs.  One thing ths
Scandinavians do very well with is being able to use color

dramatically on a blank white canvas.

Or a black one...

Here we have white walls with pickled floor boards (great

Swedish floor treatment) with really vivid pops of yellow,

chartreuse and green.  It's just fantastic!

A closer look at those fantastic throw pillows.

Wall stencils make a really great statement - they're especially

great for people like me who can only draw stick figures...

Another example of putting color on a

blank canvas.  Very simple yet interesting.

If you don't want to deal with stencils, how about wall decals!

Love the pink bamboo rug, but love the brightly colored nook

for storage space even more.

Just place them where you want it, stick and unpeel.

Love the color of the towels.

Hope this post has given you some ideas

on how to brighten your white walls.

Photos by Thomas Dahl and from Bolig Magasinet (magazine)

African Safari Style - Makanyane Safari Lodge

One of my dream places to go on a luxury tour is Africa.  Of course

I'm really going to have to save my pennies because these luxury

lodges are definitely not cheap running at several hundred to several

thousand dollars for one night.  But in the mean time, I can certainly

drool over these fabulous places.  One thing I adore in many of these

lodges are real fireplaces with canopies in the bedroom.

 

It's a great inspiration for any of you who would love that African safari

style.  This lodge is called Makanyane Safari Lodge and it is located in

the northern part of South Africa.  It consits of a main lodge witih 8

individual suites.

Can you imagine staying in a suite where an

elephant is literally steps away from your room? 

I don't believe I've ever seen an upscale African lodge with a

bed and sheets that do not look like the epitome of comfort.

Love the open concept bathing idea.

Better than many spas.

Even the private decks at this lodge give chances for wild life viewing.

What a way to take afternoon tea.  Count me in for sure!

Or take it from your own deck.

The main lodge.

The wall of branches are so cool.

A small infinite pool with fabulous lounge chairs. 

For lounging with a loved one or reading, this is definitely the spot.

It's so romantic at dusk.  Dusk is one of my favorite parts of the day.

How about a traditional outdoor meal.

What an awesome experience to view the wild

life of Africa from a lounge chair.

Of course you'll get a better view up close and personal on a safari.

Never imagined elephants in a field full of

yellow wild flowers.  It's almost fantastical.

And mother nature is a force - it's fearsome

and awesome at the same time.

If you've ever thought of having an African

styled safari room, hope this has provided

some great inspiration.

Photos from Makanyane Safari Lodge

Colonial Mexican Architecture Series - Another Merida, Mexico Gem

I'm afraid I'm in one of my obsessive runs lately with colonial Mexican

architecture.  Since we're (me and my sweetie) planning a trip to

Merida, Mexico to get a feel for the city and to look at properties, I've

been scouring a lot of properties online so we can narrow down properties

we want to look at.  They include properties that are totally finished and

properties that need a lot of work.  I'm showcasing some of the homes that

have really inspired my imagination and hope it will do the same for you.

This home has clear Moroccan/Andalusian influences on it with the

detailing in the arches.  The home is a fantastic blend and comes

turnkey.

I'd have to say that this courtyard is pretty fabulous.  You get a

great centralized view of the entire home and property.  The

home is developed in a "C" shape.

You may wonder why the pool is above ground.  There is a lot

of limestone and bedrock beneath the surface.  If you hit bedrock

while trying to dig a pool, you may as well make an above ground

dipping pool for all the trouble it is to jack hammer bedrock.

Here's that outdoor living space next to the courtyard.

It leads right into one of the 3 bedrooms in the house.

This is the side living area.  The glass doors are really great

so you can open them up completely for outdoor/indoor

living.

Here's a more traditional piece of furniture.  It

makes sense to have all the holes in it to breathe.

A lovely dining space.

The kitchen is gorgeous with a modern twist on the classic

Yucatan kitchen.  The Andalusian influence is very obvious.

Since the rooms are so large, this designer

but two double beds in one room.

This is one of the really unique rooms in this home.  It's a

completely Moroccan styled bathroom - right down to the

sink being smack in the middle of the floor.  I imagine in the

olden times, it was a small fountain that was used to wash.

Upstairs next to the balcony is a room that

serves as an office or an extra guest bedroom.

A nice little washing area next to it.

They either had this piece custom built or they

got really lucky in fitting it into this nook!

I love the little lanterns strung across canopy made of

branches.  The branches are perfect to provide some

shade while still letting light through and the lanterns are

perfect for ambience at night.

A view from above.

So what do you think of this home?  What do you think

of having a courtyard in a home?  I personally love the

idea of a courtyard. 

Photos from Buena Vida Realtors