Casa Paloma

Casa Paloma – Tulum, Mexico

Johannes and Kerry Hoffman, of Johker Design, have recently completed the design and construction of Casa Paloma, in Tulum, Mexico. Johannes is an architect, and Kerry is an architectural designer. They have been working together for over 30 years.

Casa Paloma is a modern courtyard house with vernacular inspirations. While the courtyard plan and stone detailing around the courtyard doors are inspired by urban colonial Mexican architecture, as found in cities such as San Miguel de Allende, the stone façade, hand-peeled log beams, and parts of the structure being built around existing trees, are attributed to local Mayan designs as found on the Yucatan Peninsula.

While both Kerry and Johannes come from large, now extended families, the house was designed to accommodate multiple house guests with several locations for gatherings or solitude. The house has four bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, an ample living/dining area, plus three separate outdoor terrace areas which include two swimming pools.

The Casa Paloma design incorporates three sections:

The front section contains the entry foyer, living, dining, and kitchen areas. This section, which is the south end of the residence, was kept to a single story to afford an 11’ beamed ceiling and sunlight to the courtyard. The glass doors in the living area to the courtyard bring beautiful north light throughout the day. There is a rooftop terrace with large planters above the living areas which is used for social gatherings.

The center section contains the stair hall which connects the front and rear sections as well as the courtyard with swimming pool. The courtyard faces east to capture the prevailing east winds that come off the Caribbean which is about 2 kilometers away.

The bedrooms are located in the back, north section of the residence; two bedrooms on the first floor and two bedrooms on the second floor. Each bedroom has an ensuite bathroom. Two of the bedrooms open to the courtyard and are shaded from the southern sunlight with concrete overhangs above. The other two bedrooms have a northern exposure. The first-floor bedroom with northern exposure has glass doors to a private terrace. On the third floor there is an additional terrace with a plunge pool, grill kitchen, and half-bathroom. This terrace and pool receive late afternoon sun and is often enjoyed after work, at the end of the day. Thirteen solar panels are located above the stairway and grill kitchen.

Casa Paloma has hand troweled white plaster walls and polished micro-cement floors throughout. The bedroom closets incorporate full wood-lattice doors to prevent mold growth in high humidity. All furniture, pendant lights, and most design elements are hand made in Mexico. The woven basket-like and string and steel pendant light fixtures were locally made on the Yucatan Peninsula. The black clay pendants were custom made in Oaxaca. Most of the furniture was custom made by Studio Oryx in Cancun based on Johker Design and Studio Oryx designs. Studio Oryx also built and installed the kitchen and pantry cabinetry as well as the bathroom vanities and dividing screens.