Textured Walls Combat Humidity and a Plunge Pool Offers Respite in This Breezy Guatemala Home

Share

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.

woman leaning on kitchen island

Nearly 12 year ago, Molly Berry posted a photo on Instagram of her then-infant son laying on a bedspread that changed everything. Her friend, architect and interior designer Hildegard Vásquez Omlin, called her up: Where did she get that bedding? Omlin’s firm, Hache Uve, was working on a boutique Panama City hotel, and Berry’s coverlet was exactly what she imagined for the guest suites. “I said, ‘As a matter of fact, I am the contact,’” recalls Berry. 

At the time, Berry had just moved to Antigua, Guatemala, with her family. The city happens to be custom bedding dreamland: There is no shortage of talented weavers. She found an artisan who was able to create exactly what she wanted—king size, naturally dyed, and not overly colorful—in three weeks. Having 15 more made for Omlin’s hotel sparked an idea: Berry could open her own shop and studio. To this day, she runs Luna Zorro, selling textiles ranging from breezy bathrobes to vintage huipils and hosting natural dye and weaving workshops, dining pop-ups, and even five-day-long trips to Antigua. And the studio is only a 10-minute drive from her home—Berry’s greatest design undertaking yet. 

In the beginning, the Bay Area native, and her husband, Juan, who is half Guatemalan, rented a fully-finished space, unsure if they’d be staying in Antigua long-term. But in 2015, a friend spotted a two-story listing that had all the charm of a classic Antigua house—a central courtyard, a terracotta tiled roof—with the added bonus of archways and glass doors. They had to check it out. So what if they didn’t own anything to fill it with yet? “I walked in and told my husband, ‘We can sleep on a mattress; I don’t care!” says Berry. 

Decorating took time. The couple sourced materials from the sustainable tree farm Juan manages (alongside cocoa, he grows endangered tropical hardwoods like mahogany, rosewood, and teak) to construct everything from the coffee table to kitchen island stools. When they weren’t able to craft something themselves, they reached out to local makers who could. “We’ve had to be very resourceful, and I think it’s ultimately what makes our house feel true to who we are,” Berry points out. Ahead, she gives us a tour of their slice of paradise. 

white sofa with sheepskin on top
The sofa is probably 50 years old (it belonged to my husband’s parents). When they left Guatemala, they gave it to his grandmother, and then when we moved into this house and had no furniture, she told us we could take it. Reupholstering a sofa is more affordable than buying a new one here, so we had it re-covered and put new legs on it. Chain link decor by Itza Wood, carried at Luna Zorro. Coffee table designed by Berry and made with wood from the family’s farm, Izabal Agroforest. Sofa cover and pillows designed by Berry and handwoven by Luna Zorro artisan partners.
table in entryway
There’s a lot of humidity in Antigua, which meant I kept having to repaint the cement walls in our entryway. Then I saw a textured wall at a hotel in town and tracked down the artist, an Argentine man in his 80s who combines marble dust left over from stone cutting, cement, and a lime mixture. He applies it over a hand-cut template, one by one, to make these geometric designs. Because the material has lime in it, it actually absorbs all the humidity. I love how it adds more texture to the space. Bowl by Itza Wood, carried at Luna Zorro. Chair designed by Berry and made with wood from Izabal Agroforest.
brick archway shelves
We can’t really go to the beach as a family and not come home with rocks and things. My daughter and I really love collecting shells, so there are a lot of those on our shelves alongside so many books (we have way too many). Rug designed by Berry and woven in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico.
green kitchen with wood island
The juicer on our table is bolted into the top and it squeezes oranges perfectly. Now that the kids are older, we have the knives right there, too. It’s a pretty functional little island. Stools designed by Berry and made with wood from Izabal Agroforest.
steps going through pool
Having water nearby makes me feel grounded and calm. Our pool is not really meant for swimming laps (it’s only about 5 feet deep and gets cold), but I’m in there pretty much every morning before anyone wakes up. 
pool ladder
No matter where you are in the house, the focal point is the garden. The Land of Eternal Spring is what people call Antigua. Everything grows here because we’re surrounded by volcanoes, and it’s a very temperate climate. 
bathroom with wood beam ceiling
When we moved in, our bedroom was not complete. There were no closets or anything, just arched windows and a gigantic white cement bathtub in the middle and a toilet and shower in the corner. We added a makeshift door and lived with it like that for a while. Rug designed by Berry and woven in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico. Flooring, bench, mirror, vanity, and beams made with wood from Izabal Agroforest.
wood and plaster vanity
Juan ended up finding a 1973 Range Rover, which he restored back to its factory settings. By selling it, we could begin to build our new bathroom. During the pandemic, the four of us drove the car (nicknamed Cliff, because it was red) all the way to Texas from Antigua. The kids had no iPads, we had no radio, no AC, and couldn’t go more than 55 miles per hour. It took us three weeks and it was honestly the best trip of our lives. 
orange bedding
The painting over our bed was a gift from a friend of ours, Kurtis Brand, who was leaving Guatemala and knew that we’d always loved it. Bed frame designed by Berry and made with wood from Izabal Agroforest. Pillows designed by Berry and handwoven by Luna Zorro artisan partners. Sconces from World Market.
wood keepsake box
The trunk in the corner of our bedroom is like my little shrine. It’s full of photos, letters, baby teeth, and drawings from my kids from over the years. I’m a keepsake person. On the wall, there’s a black and white photo of my grandmother and a painting from an artist and opera singer that Juan’s parents befriended when they were in Italy. We love her pieces so much—they have this soul and story to them; they feel like they’re from another place. 
studio shop
For the first five years, I was running Luna Zorro from my kitchen. Meanwhile, people on Instagram were asking me questions like, “How did you move abroad?” “What is it like?” I felt like I could create a destination here where people could come together and access our products but also see weaving happening, meet with artists, and understand what’s going on, because it’s not spoken about honestly a lot in Guatemala, and textiles are such a huge part of its cultural identity. Decking made with wood from Izabal Agroforest. Pendant lights custom-designed by Berry from metal and vintage coffee sacks. The blown-glass pieces, woven rugs, and wrought-iron accessories in the shop are by Nada Duele.
sign that says luna zorro
I kept coming back to this 150-year-old coffee farm and ended up meeting with the owner. I told him I wanted to create a space. He was like, “I definitely want to work with you; what do you need?” I wanted the textiles to speak for themselves, so we kept it modern with sliding glass doors that open pretty much all the way around. We partnered with Every Mother Counts and Minted to do a mural; we built a kitchen that we rent to Wild Daughter; and we have a garden space and what we call the Maker House, which is where the loom is. It’s become this whole little life of its own within the community. Luna Zorro logo designed in collaboration with LAND.
Lydia Geisel Avatar

Lydia Geisel

Home Editor

Lydia Geisel has been on the editorial team at Domino since 2017. Today, she writes and edits home and renovation stories, including house tours, before and afters, and DIYs, and leads our design news coverage. She lives in New York City.