Landscaping

Explore a new, stylish, and surprisingly affordable boutique hotel in Tulum, Mexico, that offers midcentury Miami vibes in the middle of the jungle. Once a quiet little Mexican fishing village, the town of Tulum in the state of Quintana Roo has evolved into a laid-back beach destination that has become the topic of many travel conversations. Located just one-and-a-half hours by car from Cancun International Airport, Tulum sees loads of visitors each year who come to enjoy its sunshine and sandy beaches.

The house presents an unassuming facade to the street, blending in with the neighborhood. Despite its boldly alter-native plan, it doesn’t stray far from the quintessential L.A. vernacular. “The quotidian look is a stucco box with an asphalt shingle roof,” says Freyinger. “Here you go. It’s a stucco box with an asphalt shingle roof.”

Though Jade had the backyard re-graded, the previous owner’s dirt bike tracks had really altered the landscape. When it rained one day, there was a bowl that remained and held water — which sparked an idea in Jade. “I come from a design practice where everything is rectangular and linear, but there was this opportunity to have a natural, seasonal pond,” she says. “It made me uncomfortable, but I still wanted to do it.”

Jade built a bridge out of some salvaged pieces of wood from elsewhere in the home. It used every board they had. But when her son ran over the little bridge for the first time, “I realized I did alllll this work for that moment. And I’d do it all over again.”

Fresh stucco and white paint reinvigorated the exterior.

House Proud: Sylvain Duquette in front of his award-winning home.

An apartment by Studioarch + Partners revels in ample arcs, a dynamic floor plan, and pops of pastel.

Lizz’s parents—Louis, an architect, and Caren, a landscape architect—designed the house, which sits on a steep site.