Design Portfolio — complex projects
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Casa Oasis Troncones
Vacation rentals — Accommodations & Vacational Therapy
Troncones Beach, Mexico — 2009-2022
My biggest art project to date. My first construction project, and my second business, I made Casa Oasis from the ground up. Starting with an overgrown beachfront lot (which, in itself was quite a challenge to procure), I designed the buildings and worked with a draftsman to create the plans, then supervised construction.
Ten months later, I moved in to the bottom floor. After getting furnishings, decor, branding and web presence in place, I started renting the top floor. In 2014, I built the second house, and added two more units to Casa Oasis.
Now, It’s three successful vacation rentals with nearly a decade of making people happy. I’ve provided Vacational Therapy to hundreds of beach lovers and made many friends. We have tons of return guests.
In 2016, I moved back to the states and started running it remotely. In 2018, I built the pictured brand new, mobile-friendly website, which expanded our reach tremendously. In 2022, I sold it to a fabulous woman who’s making it even better.
It’s a great little business that injects a little beach bliss into people’s lives.
Client
Me, again
When I decided to move to Troncones, of course I had to create another business. Several (arduous) beach scouting vacations later, I finally found “the” lot. After a few Kafkaesque years of mountainous paperwork and a multiplicity of permits, I got permission to build. A nine day visit turned into nine months, and I started construction of the main house.
Starting from scratch was a brand new challenge, as I had only remodeled existing buildings before. It meant I spent a lot more time in the planning stages, and I got to create (within serious budgetary constraints) my dream beach eco-property, with septic tank, sustainable materials, and palms, banana, ylang ylang and moringa trees.
Again, with the everything? Yes, but this time, I got to design furniture of bamboo and tropical wood and decorate with palm weavings. (And I learned what is and isn’t sustainable on the playa — what the beach climate does to metal, and even some plastics.) Then came decor, branding, website, promo, etc.
And the rest is Casa Oasis history.
Mission
A sustainable beach life and community
Sustainability — not only environmental, but financial. The eco-friendly business provided income, creative projects, and a sense of purpose, while still leving me time for other artistic endeavors. I got to live right on the beach and intimately get to know and photograph the ocean, the area, its people and its seasons. Joy.
A community and a hub. Over the years, the Oasis yielded a community of new acquaintances, return guests, and friends — just like the Casita did— becoming a place where people meet, connect, and reconnect. It also provided our stellar staff with good work for good pay for more than a decade, and enabled our contributions to the Troncones community. More joy.
Design Inspirations
Lifelong love of and visits to beaches
Tropical Mexican architecture
Gaugin, Zozaya, hermit crabs
