RIVIERA MAYA HOME DESIGN INSPIRATION: BACHELOR IN PARADISE
If you follow reality TV in the United States, you’ve probably heard of the newest Bachelor spinoff show called Bachelor in Paradise. I’ll admit that I wasn’t too excited for this new show at first… until I saw they had filmed it in Tulum! Since that’s right here in the Riviera Maya, I just had to watch this season.
As soon I began watching the first episode this week, I stopped caring about the contestants and the “romance” and the cattiness because of THE DESIGN. Oh. Wow. This location is spectacular. Immediately, I began researching how they made the house look like that… and more importantly, how can I make my Riviera Maya house look like that?
Photo: ABC/Francisco Roman
It turns out I wasn’t alone. As I searched through Bachelor blogs, website comments and articles, it turns out many people were talking more about the design than the show itself.
Bachelor in Paradise was filmed at the Papaya Playa Project, a familiar name for those of us who live in this area. More specifically, they used a rental house called Casa Madera. The property was beautiful before, but once the Bachelor designers got their hands on it, the set became the quintessential design inspiration for any Riviera Maya home.
Photo: ABC/Francisco Roman
The design team wanted to take the rustic elegance found throughout Tulum, but give it even more color. According to Bachelor production designer Angelic Rutherford, they incorporated tons of Mexican fabric, using 250 Mexican blankets (all purchased in Tulum!) and turning them into pillows and rugs, and even to wrap palm trees and wiring. You can find plenty of Mexican textiles, hammocks and blankets like these in the stores along the main highway in downtown Tulum.
Photo: ABC/Francisco Roman
Photo: ABC/Francisco Roman
The men’s living quarters used darker greens and blues, while the women’s quarters featured bright teals and fuschias. Most of the amazing furniture seen in the house and on the beach in the show was built by the crew, often using driftwood found right on the beaches of Tulum.
Photo: ABC/Francisco Roman
Photo: ABC/Francisco Roman
It’s so exciting to see such a big show give such importance to Tulum by using design elements straight from the town itself!
Bachelor in Paradise airs Monday nights on ABC (began on August 4), in case you want to check out the design of Casa Madera at the Papaya Playa Project for yourself!
If you're daydreaming about buying a Riviera Maya beach house of your own, we can help! See our list of houses for sale in the Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen and Tulum.