How Designer Summer Thornton Elevated the Outdoor Spaces in Her Sayulita House
VERANDA presents: Designing the Dream with Summer Thornton. In this series, she'll walk us through her step-by-step process of building and designing Casa Rosada, her new home in Sayulita, Mexico. You can book the rental property through Instagram or their website.
When the process feels complicated and the result seems simple, you know you’ve succeeded. That was the case when it came to the placement of Casa Rosada’s infinity pool—a culmination of 12 different layouts and some massive puzzle-solving acumen on the part of my husband, Josh, and our architect.
Here’s another way I know we succeeded: When I walk through Casa Rosada’s courtyard, living room, and out to the infinity pool, I can settle into a comfy poolside lounge chair and watch our kids play on the beach without ever having to get sandy. If they forgot a toy, they can run back up to the house and pick it up, going back and forth without having to run around to the side of the house. From that same lounge chair, I’m well positioned to soak in the killer view as the sun sets over the ocean.
I think when you’re on vacation, everything should be simple and feel easy. In Casa Rosada’s outdoor spaces, we took the art of lounging to a new level. Here are some of my favorite elements.
Rooftop Deck
I love yoga, so I built the entire rooftop—with the most spectacular view of the entire property—around a zen, calming experience for yoga, weight-lifting, and massage. Half the roof is dedicated to solar panels, but you can’t see those from the other half, where a traditional Mexican pergola constructed from local logs and sticks creates a natural sunshade. The trellis dapples the light in such a beautiful way; underneath it, you can feel the warmth and light of the sun while getting just enough shade to feel comfortable.
Under the Umbrella
One of my favorite details was the very last thing I chose. For the outdoor umbrellas, I decided to go with Santa Barbara Designs, which are, in my opinion, the best umbrellas on the market, especially if you want a more traditional look. They’re truly wonderful: well-made, durable, beautiful.
They offer fully customized options, but we were down to the wire, and luckily, they had the perfect dusty green. I love how it complements the palm trees; green and pink is a great natural combination.
Bedroom Balconies
Each bedroom has a significant “plant” moment. In the Sunset Room, bougainvillea surrounds a cantilevered tub to offer this wildly romantic floral moment. The Pom Pom Room overlooks the courtyard’s two-story-tall palm trees and massive window box filled with plants spilling out into the courtyard.
The Garden Bedroom’s fun, secret bathroom opens to a private outdoor space, complete with an outdoor tub and shower and another outdoor daybed from Montauk. Both daybeds are covered in Perennials fabrics that blend in with the lush, green plants or the pink walls.
Durable Outdoor Fabrics
Throughout Casa Rosada’s outdoor spaces, chair fabrics were another big decision. Normally when I design interior spaces, I use a ton of different colors and patterns. But Casa Rosada’s outdoor spaces are all about the ocean and the trees and the plants, so I decided to go with one simple, durable fabric that wouldn’t compete.
The hard part: finding that one fabric! Not only did it have to be super durable, but it also had to look good in mass—there are lots of places to sit! I like that Mexico feels a little gritty, and I didn’t want the clean East Coast Hamptons look or the colorful Florida vibe. After a massive search, I discovered a CW Stockwell fabric, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s pink, but not too pink. And I love the small geometric pattern that creates texture and visual durability.
We chose ochre yellow pool towels from Business and Pleasure. Our beach towels are from Kneeland and Co. in L.A.—pink with pretty shells, and of course a bit of fringe! Both work well with the green and pink to present a nuanced color story: I think of it as an elevated bohemian look with a casual, laid-back feel.
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