Nico Sayulita sits immersed in tropical foliage, looking over the blue waters of the Pacific. Set in Mexico's West Coast, the expansive residence is a unique, new rental property – a hospitality experience created by developer Hybrid and architecture studio Palma. Conceived as a holiday rental, crafted to welcome guests to this lush corner of the country, the design balances openness and seclusion, flexibility and privacy.
The making of Nico Sayulita
Seattle-based property specialist Hybrid collaborated on Nico Sayulita with Mexico City- and Sayulita-based Palma (a 2021 Wallpaper* Architects Directory entry, founded by partners Ilse Cárdenas, Regina De Hoyos, Diego Escamilla and Juan Luis Rivera in 2016).
Nestled in a tree-filled plot, the project reads as a two-storey structure from the street, but upon entering through a dramatic bridge that connects it to the main street, the building's full scale unfolds. Clusters of enclosed, semi-open, and open spaces are arranged across more levels that spread downwards, following the site's natural slope.
Everything is brought together through the vehicle of a generous concrete grid that spans the entire project and frames all spaces.
'Once inside, visitors discover both private and social areas with unexpected and thrilling viewpoints through which the ocean and surroundings can be glimpsed. Views that go from the airiness and openness of the rooftop, passing through the middle levels surrounded by lush treetops and descending to a much more terrestrial level on the “Jungle suite” a room encircled by native foliage that features a concrete built-in tub for a spa-like experience,' the team write.
Nico Sayulita includes five sleeping units within it, all featuring private outdoor space, bespoke furniture and glazing that connects guests visually and physically with the natural environment. The clever grid structure also allows units to be combined flexibly into large guest suites, carving different configurations according to every stay's needs.
Meanwhile, a communal, outdoor plunge pool is available to create those perfect moments of escape, where nature and architecture unite, transporting residents to a place of calm and relaxation among striking tropical surroundings.
-
Own an early John Lautner, perched in LA’s Echo Park hillsThe restored and updated Jules Salkin Residence by John Lautner is a unique piece of Californian design heritage, an early private house by the Frank Lloyd Wright acolyte that points to his future iconic status
-
20 things that positively delighted us in and around Design Miami this yearFrom covetable 20th-century masterpieces to a tower made from ceramic pickles, these were the works that stood out amid the blur of Art Week
-
Montcalm Mayfair opens a new chapter for a once-overlooked London hotelA thoughtful reinvention brings craftsmanship, character and an unexpected sense of warmth to a London hotel that was never previously on the radar
-
Serenity radiates through this Mexican home, set between two ravinesOn the cusp of a lakeside town, Mexican home Casa el Espino is a single-storey residence by Soler Orozco Arquitectos (SOA)
-
Mexican landscape architect Mario Schjetnan's Grupo de Diseño wins 2025 Oberlander PrizeThe 2025 Oberlander Prize goes to Mexican landscape architect Mario Schjetnan and his studio, Grupo de Diseño, highlighting the creative's motto: 'We have a human right to open space'
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthThis September, Wallpaper highlighted a striking mix of architecture – from iconic modernist homes newly up for sale to the dramatic transformation of a crumbling Scottish cottage. These are the projects that caught our eye
-
A Mexican clifftop retreat offers both drama, and a sense of placeCasa Piscina del cielo, a clifftop retreat by Zozaya Arquitectos, creates the perfect blend of drama and cosiness on Mexico's Pacific Coast
-
Broken up into six pavilions, this brutalist Mexican house is embedded in the landscapeSordo Madaleno’s brutalist Mexican house, Rancho del Bosque, is divided up into a series of pavilions to preserve the character of its hillside site, combining concrete, curves and far-reaching views
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthWallpaper* has spotlighted an array of remarkable architecture in the past month – from a pink desert home to structures that appears to float above the ground. These are the houses and buildings that most captured our attention in August 2025
-
Estudio Ome on how the goal of its landscapes ‘is to provoke, even through a subtle detail, an experience’The Mexico City-based practice explores landscape architecture in Mexico, France and beyond, seeking to unite ‘art and ecology’
-
Pretty in cactus-inspired pink, this Mexican desert house responds to its arid contextCasa Cardona, a pink house by architects Sensacional Dinamica Mexicana, is a multigenerational home that celebrates colour and changing light
