Though designer Alexander Purcell calls Los Angeles home primarily, years-worth of trips to Mexico have culminated in a new residence in the coastal town of Todos Santos.
In this edition of Designer Travels, Alex shares how Todos Santos captured his heart, and provided inspiration for his latest furniture collection for Atelier Purcell.
Destination: Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Most recent trip: January 2026
Temperature range: Mid 70’s
Solo trip or vacation with family/friends? Family and friends
First visit or repeat destination? I have been visiting for 6 years and fell in love with the area so much that I have built a house there!
What drew you to this locale?
Our first trip in 2019 began purely as part of my quest to find fantastic surf, but the moment I arrived, everything shifted. The landscape’s quiet beauty, the warmth and imagination of the local creative community, and the abundance of extraordinary farm‑to‑table food made it love at first visit.
This desert oasis, resting along the Tropic of Cancer, is cradled by ancient orchards of mango and palm. From its sun‑drenched mountains, the land opens toward white‑sand beaches, perfect waves and the endless shimmer of the Pacific. From that moment on I was infatuated.
Lodgings…
On our first trip, we stayed at Paradero, an effortlessly cool brutalist retreat crowned with many design awards. As we returned over the years, we found ourselves drawn not just to the architecture but to the people — most memorably Ditte and Fede, an extraordinary couple with a background in private luxury yachts. They run Casa Hygge with a level of heartfelt, intuitive service that feels almost familial; over time, they truly have become like family.
Casa Hygge itself is a contemporary, locally inspired haven: fourteen studio casitas gathered around a serene pool and communal heart. It is at once architecturally striking and deeply comforting. The landscaping is a quiet triumph — indigenous plantings and cascades of bougainvillea guiding you through the property with colour, texture, and a sense of place.
Must-sees for design and architecture enthusiasts…
Design lovers will find Todos Santos a study in contrasts — heritage architecture set against bold contemporary interventions. The cobblestone streets of the historic center wind past sun‑washed Spanish Colonial facades, some dating back to the 1850s when sugar fueled the town’s early prosperity. Among them, the red‑brick Todos Santos Boutique Hotel stands out as a restored gem. Once home to a Spanish countess, its hand‑painted murals and layered interiors offer a masterclass in quiet, old‑world elegance.
Just beyond its courtyard is 1890, an intimate speakeasy that channels turn‑of‑the‑century romance through a modern lens. The space is moody, refined, and meticulously composed—an experience as architectural as it is culinary.
For adaptive reuse at its most dramatic, Oystera occupies a former sugar mill. Inside, soaring vaulted ceilings and cascades of greenery create an emerald‑toned dreamscape where industrial bones meet lush, contemporary design.
Architecture enthusiasts should also make a pilgrimage to Paradero, a celebrated example of sculptural minimalism in the desert. Even if you’re not staying overnight, a reservation at Tenoch offers a chance to experience its spatial choreography. Ask head barman Hugo for the off‑menu Alex & Anna cocktail — pistachio reduction, nutmeg, and a whisper of rose water.
For open‑air dining, Dum sets its tables beneath palms that sway like a natural canopy. And no visit is complete without The Green Room, accessed through an Alice in Wonderland-like glowing tunnel of foliage. Across the way, Caracara awaits — its outdoor dining space housed within a delicate, gossamer-woven wooden pavilion that seems to float above the sand. By night, it becomes a warm, glowing embrace, open to the desert air and framed by a canopy of sparkling stars.
Postcard moment…
Every day here offers a spark of inspiration. Start with the street food at Quesadillas Muñe — the chicken tinga on a hand‑pressed blue corn tortilla is nothing short of addictive. The monthly art walk is essential: doors open to a constellation of gifted local artists and photographers. Galería Militar rewards a visit any day, and Mark Gabriel’s multi‑media works — rich with layered influences and textures — are truly exquisite.
Then there is the landscape, endlessly shifting and impossibly generous. Miles of white sand unfurl along the Pacific, and in winter the whales breach daily as if on cue. As the sun slips away in a blaze of colour, you might catch baby turtles making their first determined journey to the ocean. Behind it all, the craggy Sierra de La Laguna mountain range rises to embrace pastel sky.
For a taste of speed and sweeping cliff-top views, nothing beats a self‑driven ATV ride with Baja Rock Pirates — I’ve blown more than one tire, but it’s all part of the fun! Playa Las Palmas, a magical palm grove at the ocean’s edge, is home to wild horses weaving through the trees. A fire scorched the grove last year, leaving an almost apocalyptic silence between the now blackened trunks. Yet nature persists and all the horses are safe; green fronds burst from charred crowns, and new shoots pierce the ashen soil.
Souvenirs…
I’m always drawn to objects that carry the imprint of the maker, and in Todos Santos, that instinct inevitably leads me to The CO‑OP BAJA, a studio and shop devoted to the bespoke craftsmanship of Mexico’s artisans, especially those working in kitchenware and homeware. Over the years I’ve brought home many pieces from their artists, each one a reminder of the region’s material honesty and cultural lineage.
On this trip, I was invited into the studio of India Maya, one of the first ceramicists the CO‑OP represented when they opened in 2021. India Maya is the practice of Rakel Aguilar, based in the San Juan neighborhood of Todos Santos. Her name honors her Mayan heritage, and her work continues that ancestral relationship to earth, vessel, and fire. Every piece begins with soil she harvests in Baja Sur, which undergoes a months‑long process of soaking, aging, and drying before becoming workable clay. She shapes each form by hand and fires it twice — first in an electric kiln, then in a traditional pit fire fueled by cow dung and compost, which creates the smoky, unpredictable patterns unique to her work. Once cooled, she washes and seals each piece with beeswax, giving it a soft, tactile finish that feels both ancient and contemporary.
I also love the Sunday market at Baja Beans in Pescadero, where artisans from across Mexico gather. One of my favorites is Mr. Copper, a heritage project founded in 1976 that continues the hand‑hammered copper traditions mastered by Jorge Luis Sánchez Ángel. Their pieces carry a weight — both literal and cultural — that always speaks to me.
Lasting influence…
Todos Santos has become a kind of compass for me, a reminder that design is at its most powerful when it’s rooted in a reverence for place. This desert oasis — shaped by raw, untouched nature and a quietly sophisticated creative community — taught me to listen more closely to what materials want to be. Nothing here shouts. Inspiration arrives in whispers: the curve of a dune, the patina of sun‑bleached wood, the way bougainvillea spills over a weathered brick wall. It’s a landscape that asks you to strip things back, to honour honesty, tactility, and permanence over spectacle.
The artists, ceramicists, and craftspeople of Todos Santos create with a grounded intimacy. Their work carries the imprint of hand, climate, and culture — a reminder that true beauty emerges from authenticity. That ethos profoundly shaped the creation of my new Dera Collection.
Dera is, in many ways, my love letter to this place. Its flowing silhouettes and cocoon‑like forms echo the gentle embrace of the landscape, where softness and strength coexist effortlessly. The name, rooted in the Proto‑Indo‑European Der meaning “flow” or “movement,” mirrors the way Todos Santos moves through you — fluid, resilient, quietly transformative. Just as the coastline completely reforms with the shifting swell from north in winters to south summers, Dera explores continuity of form and emotion, merging intimacy with boldness, sanctuary with sculptural clarity.
From the bed’s enveloping curves to the console’s refined simplicity, each piece carries the grounded, tactile, emotionally resonant spirit I find in Todos Santos. They are designed to feel as though they belong to a place — even when they’re destined for an entirely new home.
Greatest takeaway…
Forever spellbound by Todos Santos, I return to it the way one returns to a half‑remembered dream — certain it will reveal something new each time. It is a place that gives quietly, like a secret passed from hand to hand, held together by a community whose warmth feels almost like an inheritance. Nothing here clamors for attention. Its magic is whispered, not declared.
Wander long enough, and the town begins to unfurl itself: a doorway glowing at dusk, a mural half-hidden by bougainvillea, the sound of friends’ laughter drifting from a courtyard restaurant you hadn’t noticed before. Speak to the people who shape this place, and they’ll guide you, with a knowing smile, toward moments that feel lifted from a fairytale — pockets of wonder tucked into sunlit corners and cobblestone streets.
You leave with your senses full: enchanted, inspired, nourished in every way. That is, if you manage to leave at all. I, for one, could not! Little wonder this artist’s refuge, surfer’s sanctuary, and tropical oasis carries the name Pueblo Mágico — it wears its magic lightly, but it lingers long after you’ve gone.
Photography by Monica Baddar.
Styling by Anna Talyzin.
Produced by Red’s Creative Productions / Madison Hopkins.
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