A SPACE THAT MAKES EVERY DAY FEEL LIKE AN ESCAPE
WRITTEN BY KATHRYN O’SHEA-EVANS / PHOTOGRAPHY BY TANYA LACOURSE
Woven pendants float like lanterns beneath the cathedral ceiling. Graphic and textural pillows add lush softness. Palms channel rainforest vibes, while warm lighting flatters. “I’m super opinionated about the color of the light,” says the designer. A soft, golden glow was key to making the space feel inviting.
This primary suite has undergone a transformation so transportive, you might swear that it was airlifted from a serene resort. The renovation—led by designer Tanya Lacourse, of Violet Marsh Interiors—draws clear inspiration from the clients’ favorite destination: Banyan Tree Mayakoba, translating the Mexico resort’s tranquil luxury into an everyday escape.
“It’s a couple who bought this really big house, and they travel pretty regularly there,” says Lacourse. “They were ready to renovate their bedroom and their bathroom . . . not to be rude or judgmental, but [the ‘before’ look was] a nineties McMansion.”
And the photos prove it. Faux arches, builder-grade cabinets, and diminutive lighting fixtures dotted the original bathroom. The redesign was a gut renovation. “We demoed the whole thing,” says Lacourse. “They wanted it to be very modern.” They considered a dramatic walk-in shower in front of the window but opted to retain the existing plumbing layout. “As soon as you start moving the plumbing, the price of everything goes up.”
Instead, the designer focused on impact through materials: a floating custom double vanity in oak, stone waterfall edges, and woven pendants that draw the eye up into the soaring fourteen-foot cathedral ceilings. “We hung three pendants to kind of fill the space . . . but they’re really light and airy and not heavy,” she says. These fixtures—and many design details—nod to the couple’s beloved Banyan Tree resort with the LED integrated mirrors, texture of the oak, and cement sinks.
“In Mexico, all the counters are usually cement.” For anyone considering a mirror with integrated LEDs, Lacourse has some prescient advice: “Make sure anytime you’re buying anything that has integrated light, that [you know] exactly the color . . . a lot of these integrated light fixtures are a cool tone . . . and that will make you look sickly when you’re putting on your makeup.”
In the adjoining bedroom, the changes were equally bold and equally blissful. Softness and concealment were key with custom roller shades, blackout drapery, and a clever treatment of vents and trim. “We painted that! We try to paint as much as possible, so things go away,” says Lacourse. They replaced the twenty-five-year-old carpet; the new version is soft, silky, and soothing underfoot. Almost like the sand in Mexico, “it feels really good under your bare feet,” says Lacourse. The fireplace—set on an angle—remained, as did the TV, now grounded by a custom floating shelf.
In a turreted alcove, Lacourse added lush plants and a meditation chair. “She calls it her yoga room . . . she loves plants, and wanted that to be abundant with greenery.” The clients opted to keep their bed place- ment—“they already had a TV on that wall and really wanted to be able to watch [it]”—but that necessitated creative thinking around a few awkward architectural elements. Above the bed, “they had a half moon, or demilune window,” the designer recalls. “We decided to cover all those windows up, which is super dramatic.” A lover of natural light, Lacourse typically doesn’t evict a window, but doing so in this space allowed for the wall to become a textural moment. Now, in a moody chocolate hue, it’s “dark and earthy and sort of rich.” The results are “super cozy,” says Lacourse. “It doesn’t need to be bright and white. It’s very restful.” Just add fresh-made guacamole and margaritas.