Palmerio Restaurant at The Four Seasons Resort, Cabo San Lucas

The team was challenged to eschew the prevalent regional style of surrounding luxury properties in their design of the lobby-level restaurant at the new Four Seasons Resort Cabo San Lucas. The goal was to tell an authentic and nuanced story of celebrity chef Richard Sandoval’s ‘Mediterranean-meets-Baja-Riviera’ culinary vision, while still upholding the Four Season’s brand of luxury.

Materials, color palettes, and artistic traditions shared by the two Rivieras mix and mingle throughout the space. A palette of sunwashed colors, used as alternatives to vibrant Mexican textiles, resemble the faded tones of old Kodachrome photography. Their nostalgic and soothing tones are echoed in groupings of vintage photographs of classic Cabo culture and Slim Aarons photographs capturing ‘beautiful people doing beautiful things’ in French seaside towns. Crisp white plaster walls punctuated with niches showcase a bespoke collection of vintage and modern pinas from Mexico’s Michoacán state, these richly glazed pieces highlighting the generations of artistic exchange between of the two coastal areas. Floors are clad in hand-cut terra cotta flooring, vertical columns wrapped in blue-green glazed brick, and a custom-crafted clay barrel vaulted ceiling overhead.

The two cultures also unite in in the bustling European-style open kitchen featuring an aged brass and zinc French range hood and hammered metal light fixtures. The inviting front is made from beautiful Mexican onyx with hand carved wooden casework displaying a mix of locally made plateware and service pieces. The private dining room presents another hand-picked collection of artwork, with vintage and contemporary pinas also represented here. A graceful arched plaster loggia wraps the dining room and provides opportunity for a multitude of outdoor dining experiences amid stunning coastline views.