When I bought this house, it was called Casa Moto. Beige walls, basic fixtures, a pool that looked like every other pool in the neighborhood. Nothing wrong with it. Nothing memorable about it either.
The renovation took about four months, involved a brand architect, a handyman named Orlin who does things I didn't know were possible with lime wash, and more terracotta tile than I initially thought I'd ever order. Here's what we built, room by room.
The Brief: Latin/Cuban, Not Boho
I worked with Dawn Asher (The Olive Jar) on the brand from the beginning. The one thing she said early that changed everything: "Latin/Cuban is not boho." Both use rattan and warm tones. But boho is eclectic and maximalist, while what we were going for had more intention behind it. Old Havana patina. Wabi-sabi warmth. Materials that feel collected and lived-in rather than assembled from a mood board.
The six brand filters she set for every decision: cocooned and soothing, vibrant and rejuvenating, cultured, rhythmic, effortless ease, grounded. Every furniture piece, paint color, and tile choice had to pass at least five of those six. It slows you down when you're shopping, but the rooms end up coherent in a way that's hard to fake.
The color that anchors everything: Kahlo Blue. A vibrant cobalt that shows up as accent rather than dominant tone. Throw pillows, a closet interior, the pool water itself. Bold without being loud.
The Patio: 1,148 Square Feet of Main Character
The patio is bigger than most of the interior living space. 1,148 square feet of it. It's the reason people book this house.
We had the pool deck resurfaced with a professional cooling overlay from Tom at Concrete By Design. The texture is a lace finish in a color called Orange Flambé that matches the terracotta palette. It runs 20 to 30 degrees cooler than standard concrete, which matters when the desert hits 110. The patio walls got the same Orange Flambé in a Behr masonry paint.
Key patio pieces: Antigua wicker rocking chairs along the back wall, in-pool loungers under a Desert Marigold umbrella, a concrete fire pit coffee table from Neighbor that doubles as a low table when the fire isn't on, and an outdoor projector mounted to the pergola for movie nights. The projector doesn't require setup. You turn it on and it works.
Second Bedroom: Wild Tropics
This is the room people will photograph. It got the Wild Tropics wallpaper from Rebel Walls in blue. Floor-to-ceiling, 57 feet wide, matte paste-on. Orlin hung it. It took two days.
The bed has a tile headboard: Merola Manises Decor tiles mounted on a plywood panel, six tiles wide by five tiles tall, rising from baseboard to about 65 inches. The terracotta and blue-white pattern in the tile is its own conversation. Terracotta pendant lamps hang from the wall above artisanal wood nightstands. Standing clothing rack instead of dresser, which keeps the room from feeling crowded in 115 square feet.
The vibe reference for this room was the Pink Cabana at The Sands Hotel in Indian Wells. Lush, playful, Cuban. Not a typical vacation rental bedroom.
Third Bedroom: The Kahlo Blue Surprise
The third bedroom is what Dawn called "California coastal meets desert." Neutral throughout, then you open the closet and there's a floor-to-ceiling Kahlo Blue lime-wash interior. Same technique as the TV cove in the living room. The blue hits differently when it's hidden until you need it.
The closet has a workstation built in: single slab desk, wall-mounted TV, shelf for baskets. The bifold doors are stained natural wood. Terracotta tile runs through from the room floor into the closet floor so it reads as one space. A king bed and twin trundle for the sleep configuration, with an arched wood-stained armoire staged at the room entry for additional clothing storage.
Primary Bedroom: Fireplace Suite
The primary has its own fireplace, kitchenette, spa bathroom with soaking tub and double vanity, and a walk-in closet. We painted the walls Fair Spring, a muted sage from Dunn Edwards. Same paint goes on the fireplace tile, which unifies what would otherwise be a competing surface.
The floor is 13x13 terracotta field tiles with Talavera DECO 4x4 accent dots at the intersections, sourced from La Tile and Stone. The pattern reads as grid from a distance and as detail up close. A draped canopy floats above the king bed. A twin rattan daybed is staged as a separate lounge piece, not a trundle under the bed.
Kitchen and Living Room: The Warm Core
The kitchen's black-and-white geometric tile backsplash and natural wood floating shelves stayed. We added a tropical green credenza in the kitchen nook with a Capiz white seashell pendant above it, and painted the nook wall Caramel Apple, a warm terracotta tone from Dunn Edwards. The nook is where people end up with coffee in the morning.
In the living room, the TV cove got a terracotta lime-wash treatment on the sides and ceiling of the alcove. Two large tropical floor plants flank it. The effect is that the TV disappears into an architectural moment rather than dominating a wall. A full-length walnut credenza with sugar cane details sits below the TV.
What It Cost and What It Took
The Version 1 renovation budget was $19,900. That covers the pool deck, all tile work, wallpaper, paint, furniture, and Dawn's design fees. The labor was Orlin for tile, paint, and wallpaper installation. Michael Cagle for electrical. Tom for the pool deck.
It took from February to May 2026. Dawn's photo shoot is May 14. The first guests check in May 21.
If you want to stay here, read what guests can expect at Terra Luz. Both Terra Luz and Cozy Cactus are in Indian Palms Country Club in Indio, about 2.5 miles from the Coachella and Stagecoach festival grounds.