The photos came in and I genuinely did not recognize the house.
I've been in this property probably 30 times in the last year. I've slept there, stress-ordered furniture at midnight, argued with myself over rug sizes. And still, the first time I saw it fully shot by Anchor Photography, something clicked into place that spreadsheets and walk-throughs couldn't. It actually looked like what we'd been trying to build.
Here's the full room-by-room breakdown: what we did, what we bought, what didn't make the cut, and a few things that surprised even me.
The Vision (Briefly)
If you want the full origin story, read how Terra Luz got its name and identity. The short version: Dawn Asher from The Olive Jar came in and built us a brand framework around six filters: cocooned, vibrant, cultured (Latin/Cuban), rhythmic, effortless ease, grounded. Every purchase had to pass those filters. Rattan in, particle board out. Terracotta in, cool grey out. Dominos set on the dining table in; generic hotel art out.
That filter system is what made this renovation feel coherent instead of just expensive.
The house from the street. The palms were already here. Everything else changed.
Exterior and Pool Deck
The biggest structural change was the pool deck, handled by Tom at Concrete By Design. The original concrete was standard issue; what replaced it has a texture and warmth that photographs like Morocco. It runs the full length of the backyard, connecting the covered patio to the pool edge.
The fire pit is still coming. We deferred it to Phase 2 along with the inflatable movie screen, which I'm genuinely still planning for. Both would require more infrastructure than we had bandwidth for before the May launch. The deck itself more than holds up in the meantime.
Entryway and Living Room
The entryway is intentional. A leather wall piece on one side, a foyer console and mirror opposite it, and a guest book engraved with "Terra Luz" that I'm quietly obsessed with. The idea was to give arriving guests a landing moment, somewhere to drop their bags and actually exhale before they find the pool.
The living room. The faux palms are in blue pots, per Dawn's instruction. It works.
The living room kept most of its bones but got reshuffled. We swapped in a walnut TV stand (Dawn approved, sourced in March), kept the original jute rug, and added two faux fan palms in blue pots. Dawn specifically called for blue to balance the terracotta and warm woods. The existing jute rug is staying for now because it earns its place, which is not something I expected to say about a holdover from before the redesign.
Books fill the bookcase. Actual books, not staged filler. The artwork above the fireplace area is a large piece sourced from Etsy. There's a catch-all tray situation on the coffee table that I'll let guests sort out for themselves.
Kitchen
The kitchen is functional, not fussy. A Chemex pour-over cone and an acacia chopping block are the main visual callouts. We didn't try to stage it as something it's not. Guests who cook will find what they need. Guests who don't will find the Nespresso.
Simple and stocked. The Chemex gets used more than I expected.
The Ninja Slushie Maker is Phase 2. It was on the list, with the note that blue and orange would be the preferred colors. That's how specific these spreadsheets got.
Dining Room and Nook
This is the room that took the most money and made the most sense. The dining table seats 8 and anchors the entire open-plan space. We found a green bar credenza that Dawn called a "pop of character," and she was right. Against the warm walls it reads less like furniture and more like a decision.
The dining room. Cuban prints, a gold pendant light, a Cafe Bustelo poster, and a dominos set waiting for takers.
The artwork is where the cultural identity really lands: a Cuban street print, a cactus print, a Havana sunset piece, a Cafe Bustelo digital download printed and framed. The bar shelves above the credenza hold an Edifier tabletop speaker and a growing collection of catch-all objects that won't stay curated, and that's fine.
The nook table is one I'd pulled from The Sundune during a refresh there. It fits the corner perfectly, and reusing it instead of buying new was exactly the kind of practical decision that doesn't appear in mood boards but shows up in the profit margins.
Bar stools, a dominos set (because of course), curtains, a table runner, and a pendant light above the nook. The dining room also has the only chandelier-adjacent fixture in the house, a gold pendant Dawn sourced and approved. It's enough.
Primary Bedroom
The primary bedroom is the one I'd most want to sleep in, which is the right answer when you're trying to run a hospitality business.
The primary bedroom. The floor tiles came from LA Tile and made the room.
We ordered the tile from LA Tile and had it installed by Orlin. The total for the tile work was significant, around $4,200, but it's the kind of decision that either makes a room or dates it fast. This did not date it.
The art is a large Etsy piece, 190cm, that fills the wall above the coffee bar area in a way no regular print could. The coffee bar cabinet has a Keurig in warm stone. The woven lounge chair came from Facebook Marketplace. The pendant lamps on either side of the bed are from a set Dawn approved.
One thing that didn't make it: the canopy drape setup. We'd ordered rods for a king canopy effect, but they sat too close to the bed frame to work structurally. We pulled them before the shoot. Sometimes a thing looks right in the mood board and doesn't work in three dimensions. This was one of those times.
Looking to book this room for yourself? Terra Luz opens May 21, 2026.
The Wallpaper Bedroom
This is the one people will photograph first. The Rebel Wall wallpaper runs floor to ceiling across the full feature wall, 57 feet of it at nine and a half feet high. We ordered it in March, it arrived, and Orlin installed it in a single day that I will not fully describe here because the room count was stressful.
The wallpaper bedroom. The Rebel Wall cost more than some cars I've owned. Worth it.
The headboard is a custom tile build, an idea from Dawn's design boards that we executed ourselves. It's cement tile, set in a pattern, installed directly to the wall. The woven sconce is positioned at the seating nook corner. Checkerboard side table, jute area rug, nightstand pendant lamps, a full-length mirror hung on the back of the closet door.
This room has a seating nook that wasn't in the original floor plan. It's a small alcove that could have stayed empty. We put a woven sconce and a checkerboard table there instead, and now it looks like it was always meant to be used that way.
Wild Tropics Bedroom
The third bedroom is the most opinionated one, which was the assignment. Frida Kahlo blue paint, the shade named specifically for her. A wall-to-wall rattan headboard that Orlin built and installed. A floating live-edge desk shelf. Bi-fold closet doors we stained to match the wood tones. Blue striped jute rug.
The wild tropics bedroom. The blue is Frida Kahlo blue. The rattan headboard is wall to wall. No subtlety intended.
There's also a twin trundle under the main bed for when this room needs to sleep three. That was one of the smarter decisions we made early. The bedroom sits as a standalone suite for couples or a flexible room for families. Floor cushions in the corner do extra duty as kid seating.
The Pool and Patio
Dawn ordered the outdoor sofa lounge. It arrived and I didn't move it for about two weeks because I couldn't figure out where anything else should go around it. Eventually things settled into place: coffee table from West Elm, yellow mustard ceramic garden stool, in-pool lounge chairs, the blue and white stripe umbrella that anchors the whole backyard visually.
The pool from above. The concrete deck is new. The umbrella is the color of a French coastline.
Beach robes for six guests are stacked and ready. Pool towels in blue and white from Studio McGee. A palm print pool float and a tan stripe kids float, because not every guest will be an adult.
Evening light on the patio. The fire pit is Phase 2. The vibe doesn't miss it yet.
The fire pit and the inflatable movie screen are both still coming. Phase 2, once we understand how the operational rhythm settles. The outdoor space functions beautifully without them. The movie screen would make it absurd in the best way, and we'll get there.
What We Didn't Buy (And Why)
The Rook fireplace was on an early mood board. It's a freestanding electric unit that looks like sculpture. We passed on it because the primary bedroom has a fireplace niche that already had its own accent tile treatment, and adding a secondary freestanding piece felt like it was solving a problem that wasn't there. The niche got the tile; the Rook didn't make the trip.
The ceiling fan fixture upgrade also got deferred. The existing fans work. Phase 2 is a real thing, not a holding pattern.
What's Next
Terra Luz opens to guests May 21, 2026. Phase 2 in Summer 2026 covers exterior paint. Phase 3 in 2027 is the pass-through window from the kitchen to the patio, which will make the indoor-outdoor flow something worth writing about again.
For now, the house is done. Not "done for now" done. Actually done, which felt like it would never happen and then happened all at once in the two weeks before the photo shoot.
If you want to see it in person, book directly at Terra Luz. Direct bookings get 10% off on return stays, no coupon needed.
FAQ: Terra Luz Renovation
How long did the Terra Luz renovation take?
The full redesign started in earnest in late 2025 and finished in May 2026. The most intensive phase was March through May 2026, with Orlin (our on-site handyman) and Michael Cagle handling structural and electrical work throughout.
Who designed Terra Luz?
Dawn Asher at The Olive Jar led the brand identity and interior design direction. Every room passed through her brand filters before we committed to a purchase.
What's the Latin/Cuban design influence about?
The design pulls from Old Havana: bold use of color, rattan and natural textures, indoor-outdoor rhythm, and artwork with cultural weight. It's not themed in the Halloween costume sense. The references are specific: Cuban street prints, a Cafe Bustelo poster, Frida Kahlo blue paint, a dominos set on the dining table.
What does Phase 2 include?
Exterior paint, the fire pit, and possibly the inflatable movie screen. Timeline: Summer 2026 for the paint, then we'll see what the season brings.
Can I book Terra Luz directly?
Yes. Head to indigopalm.co/terra-luz to book directly and lock in the return guest discount on your next stay.
Guest experience by @TheOliveJar.co | Photography by Anchor Photography