Casa Yvonne, fashion mogul Elyse Walker’s sun-soaked private retreat in San José del Cabo, Mexico, is revealing in so many ways.
It’s open, spacious and sunny—like California. It’s contemporary, stylish, and irresistible—like designer fashions from Walker’s Pacific Palisades boutique which garnered her smashing success. Casa Yvonne is also magnificent—like Walker’s mother, for whom the extraordinary estate honors in name.
How do we know? Spectacular 10,000-square-foot estates like this aren’t named lightly. They must live up to a big legacy. Casa Yvonne doesn’t disappoint. Like a mom, Walker blessed the home with tender loving care.
Perched on a scenic hilltop, Casa Yvonne reflects Walker’s distinctly Southern California lifestyle with a dramatic 77-foot swimming pool (which naturally contours to the hillside landscape) and panoramic views of the Sea of Cortez. The six-bedroom estate was designed and constructed by renowned Los Cabos firm Ogarrio-Zapata Arquitectos.
Casa Yvonne presents a contemporary twist on traditional Mexican aesthetics. The residence seamlessly integrates indoors with outdoors—boasting kitchens, courtyards, dining areas and a pool table to entertain family and friends, as well as private suites that offer the serenity expected of a southern Baja California getaway (or even a trendy Miami hotel).
The residence is flawless in its contemporary simplicity. It showcases Walker's personal touch, with select furnishings and a timeless collection of Mexican art and textiles set prominently against a backdrop of dark wood furniture and overhead beams, and whitewashed walls and columns (which match bleach-white umbrellas, loungers and pillows).
"When it comes to my fashion sense and even my own lines, I always try to build a clean structure so that the product becomes the focus," says Walker. "Similarly, when we designed this home we kept it very clean with neutral tones (in-terms of the décor), and symmetrical. I need symmetry! It helps me clear my mind so that I can focus my attention on the most important part of the house: the friends and family who surround us when we go down there."
Casa Yvonne features two large master bedroom suites, three guest rooms, and a loft bedroom that doubles as an office. The master bedroom suites boast luxurious spa bathrooms with double sinks, oversized soaking tubs, indoor and outdoor showers, and spacious private balconies overlooking the sea. In-room amenities include large plasma TVs, Crestron control for house satellite radio and iPod, and in-room air-conditioning for both bathroom and bedroom.
The three guest suites offer a separate entrance off the central courtyard. Each has its own private bathroom with oversized shower and double sinks. Meanwhile the loft doubles as an office with three work stations, private bathroom with shower, and a retractable windowed wall that opens up to a private outdoor garden.
Casa Yvonne’s sprawling infinity pool features a waterfall that cascades from a Jacuzzi above. The deck accesses the home’s central sound system with several lounging and seating options available for sun and shade. The main level has an outdoor kitchen equipped with a Viking grill, sink and fridge.
A second story, private observation deck showcases built-in seating, a 10-foot-long outdoor fire pit and Sea of Cortez views from the East Cape down to Palmilla Point—an ideal vantage point for Cabo sunsets.
The 50- by 30-foot Great Room serves as the entertainment center of Casa Yvonne. It boasts retractable glass pocket doors that run the entire length of the room and fully open the space to a covered patio dining area and the outside sea view. The interior is equipped with a large Tequila bar (of course) with sink, ice-maker, large dining table and regulation-sized pool table. A 65-inch plasma TV hangs above the 20-foot-long fireplace.
Casa Yvonne is as modern and elegant as the designer women’s wear (Stella McCartney, Lanvin, Missoni, Givenchy, Jimmy Choo, Blumarine) that Walker sells at her namesake boutique on Antioch Street in Pacific Palisades. Her eye for color and proportion has elevated her reputation as an A-list stylist, buyer, designer and fashion director of ForwardbyElyse Walker (an e-commerce site)—especially on the Hollywood fashion scene.
A native New Yorker, Walker began running a family-owned business on Madison Avenue and Scarsdale in 1995 at age 18. Recognizing a market void, she launched her high-end namesake store for fashion-savvy women in 1999—specializing in designer clothes, shoes, handbags and accessories. Since then, her boutique has quadrupled in size (to 6,500-square feet) and become a destination for fashionable women nationwide.
Today she can be spotted dressing clients on soccer fields, boardrooms and red carpets. Her celebrity clients include Kate Beckinsale, Jennifer Garner, Kate Hudson, Marcia Cross, Amber Valletta and Kate Capshaw, all of whom shop the store regularly.
Walker created one of Los Angeles’ premier fashion charity events—the annual Pink Party, which also honors the memory of her mother Barbara Yvonne Feder, who died of stage 4 ovarian cancer at age 42. October 18th marks the party’s 10th anniversary which will benefit the Cedars-Sinai Women’s Cancer Program at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute. Actress Garner and fashion stylist Rachel Zoe will host. The Pink Party has raised more than $9.5 million since its inception.
They say sharing makes success sweeter. Walker, who is generous with her time, charity and vacation home embodies that motto. She is California dreamin'. It’s where she was meant to be—whether it’s Los Angeles California or Baja California. And her boutique, the Pink Party and Casa Yvonne are emblems of her success, commitment, and love. Surely, her mom would be proud.
Casa Yvonne is available for rent. Contact David Walker at ds.walker@mac.com for available dates.