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By Stacy Shoemaker Rauen
Photography by Skott Snider
When designer Dodd Mitchell went to Los Cabos, Mexico, on a two-day scouting trip for another Javier's restaurant outpost in the new Cabo Azul Resort & Spa, he had no idea that a short jaunt would turn into a life-changing project. "After a week of staying in Cabo, [Mark Post, owner of Pacific Monarch Resorts and Javier's] asked us to design the whole resort project with 250 rooms, five swimming pools, a spa, pool bar, deli and gelateria, a boutique, beach bar, and Javier's restaurant," says Mitchell, principal of his Los Angeles firm, Dodd Mitchell Design (DMD). "So the suitcase packed for two days quickly became a house, two houses, a DMD satellite office, and riding jet skis to work."
Mitchell and his team's immersion into the local culture (he actually still lives there in his four-bedroom manse overlooking the ocean) is evident in the romantic, dramatic interiors—his signature look—that cleverly intertwine traditional Mexican pieces in unexpected ways. "[It's] not so much of a resort, but a luxury home that is warm and eclectic with a hint of Mexican local architectural details," explains Gulla Jonsdottir, vice president of design for DMD and one of the five people who moved to Cabo with Mitchell (she also went on the original scouting trip). "We wanted the guests to feel at home and relaxed, and in the end, we created our most romantic project yet."
Strings of custom designed willow wood ball- and cocoon-shaped spheres inspired by fish traps from a Mexican fishing village hang in the entrance of Javier's; columns throughout are made of carved wood and backlit from within; backlit custom headboards made of carved stained Alamo wood glow in guestrooms; fire torches surround the black pebbled pools (one features a special central platform for a fire dancer); and DMD-designed furniture—from the pool loungers and wood and leather restaurant chairs to the rustic mesquite wood table and leather bronze studded dining chairs in the three-bedroom penthouse—dot the hotel. In fact, almost all of the furniture is a Mitchell original, and for sale—they are part of his namesake furniture line. (DMD also named all the buildings, restaurants, and bars, created the graphics and logos, and even designed some soaps for the spa.)
The scene-stealer though is the poolside palapa bar's canopy ceiling. The designers hung 194 ropes from the center of the roof, forming a commanding column that's lit from within, what the designers call "a central chandelier," that suspends over a reflective water pond in the center of the circular open-air bar; from there, the lit ropes swing down, curving up to attach to the bottom of the palapa, creating what looks like the bottom of a mushroom cap. "We wanted to create something different, although keeping with the tradition," says Jonsdottir. "We were walking on the harbor looking at all the boats tied and there was a lady in a very Mexican-style rope dress dancing around. The ropes moved in the wind."
The Paz Body & Mind Spa is just as dramatic, though a complete departure from the rest of the moody resort. "We wanted the spa to feel like heaven, like being on a cloud," says Mitchell, who is a part investor in the resort. In place of dark woods and sexy lighting are white undulating plaster walls, floors made of small white pebbles, and a ceiling made of thousands of white shells that move ever so slightly and make a soothing sound that accompanies the water fountains found throughout.
Next up for DMD in Cabo: phase two of Cabo Azul, which includes a 100-room boutique hotel complete with a rooftop sushi bar, as well as nearby Bahia Hotel and the inaugural property of the firm's own eco-friendly hotel brand called Braggs.
For more information, visit www.doddmitchell.com or caboazulresort.com.
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Doing Dodd's Work
May 13, 2008By Stacy Shoemaker Rauen
Photography by Skott Snider
When designer Dodd Mitchell went to Los Cabos, Mexico, on a two-day scouting trip for another Javier's restaurant outpost in the new Cabo Azul Resort & Spa, he had no idea that a short jaunt would turn into a life-changing project. "After a week of staying in Cabo, [Mark Post, owner of Pacific Monarch Resorts and Javier's] asked us to design the whole resort project with 250 rooms, five swimming pools, a spa, pool bar, deli and gelateria, a boutique, beach bar, and Javier's restaurant," says Mitchell, principal of his Los Angeles firm, Dodd Mitchell Design (DMD). "So the suitcase packed for two days quickly became a house, two houses, a DMD satellite office, and riding jet skis to work." Mitchell and his team's immersion into the local culture (he actually still lives there in his four-bedroom manse overlooking the ocean) is evident in the romantic, dramatic interiors—his signature look—that cleverly intertwine traditional Mexican pieces in unexpected ways. "[It's] not so much of a resort, but a luxury home that is warm and eclectic with a hint of Mexican local architectural details," explains Gulla Jonsdottir, vice president of design for DMD and one of the five people who moved to Cabo with Mitchell (she also went on the original scouting trip). "We wanted the guests to feel at home and relaxed, and in the end, we created our most romantic project yet." Strings of custom designed willow wood ball- and cocoon-shaped spheres inspired by fish traps from a Mexican fishing village hang in the entrance of Javier's; columns throughout are made of carved wood and backlit from within; backlit custom headboards made of carved stained Alamo wood glow in guestrooms; fire torches surround the black pebbled pools (one features a special central platform for a fire dancer); and DMD-designed furniture—from the pool loungers and wood and leather restaurant chairs to the rustic mesquite wood table and leather bronze studded dining chairs in the three-bedroom penthouse—dot the hotel. In fact, almost all of the furniture is a Mitchell original, and for sale—they are part of his namesake furniture line. (DMD also named all the buildings, restaurants, and bars, created the graphics and logos, and even designed some soaps for the spa.)The scene-stealer though is the poolside palapa bar's canopy ceiling. The designers hung 194 ropes from the center of the roof, forming a commanding column that's lit from within, what the designers call "a central chandelier," that suspends over a reflective water pond in the center of the circular open-air bar; from there, the lit ropes swing down, curving up to attach to the bottom of the palapa, creating what looks like the bottom of a mushroom cap. "We wanted to create something different, although keeping with the tradition," says Jonsdottir. "We were walking on the harbor looking at all the boats tied and there was a lady in a very Mexican-style rope dress dancing around. The ropes moved in the wind." The Paz Body & Mind Spa is just as dramatic, though a complete departure from the rest of the moody resort. "We wanted the spa to feel like heaven, like being on a cloud," says Mitchell, who is a part investor in the resort. In place of dark woods and sexy lighting are white undulating plaster walls, floors made of small white pebbles, and a ceiling made of thousands of white shells that move ever so slightly and make a soothing sound that accompanies the water fountains found throughout. Next up for DMD in Cabo: phase two of Cabo Azul, which includes a 100-room boutique hotel complete with a rooftop sushi bar, as well as nearby Bahia Hotel and the inaugural property of the firm's own eco-friendly hotel brand called Braggs. For more information, visit www.doddmitchell.com or caboazulresort.com.
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