Yahoo Lifestyle Home of the Week: Aerin Lauder’s Idyllic Hideaway Along Panama’s Lush Pacific Coast
Over the past decade, Panama City has become a hub for international travelers seeking design-savvy hotel stays, impressive gastronomic experiences, and unspoiled natural environments. Catering to the influx, throughout the Central American country there are plenty of new developments, including Ocean Builders’ eco-luxe Seapods and master-planned areas like Reserva Ecológica Panamaes, a 1,380-acre scheme that includes conservation areas, reforestation projects, farming, social impact programming, and private residences.
It was after just one visit to Panama around 2017 when Aerin Lauder, the granddaughter of cosmetics mogul Estée Lauder and the founder of an eponymous lifestyle brand, fell in love with the country. Her husband, Eric Zinterhofer, and their children, however, had been visiting the country for years. In fact, the financier and a couple of friends had purchased a vast plot of land in 2007, now known as Reserve Ecológica Panamaes, in an effort to create a sustainability-driven community reserve. It is here, within the reserve on the Azuero Peninsula, where Lauder and Zinterhofer custom built a home facing the Pacific Ocean.
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“The first time I visited Panama, I felt like I was stepping into a paradise; it was an adventurous escape,” Aerin Lauder tells Robb Report. “The destination is rustic, but that’s what makes it so magical. My husband and my two sons had been visiting for years. It was always a boys’ trip that involved fishing, surfing and living in bathing suits all day long. When I started to join, I finally understood the appeal. Panama is a beautiful, tropical oasis where you can relax and enjoy the land around you.”
Known as Casa Loro, the property spans 30 acres within the reserve and took five years to come to life. The name loro, which means ‘parrot’ in Spanish, was inspired by the many vocal parrots that make their home on property. The residence was completed in 2022, with the design and architecture a team effort between Lauder and her husband, IM/KM Architecture, and interior designer Daniel Romualdez. The property includes the main house, four oceanfront guest cabins, and a pool house, all connected by winding pathways, water features, and tropical gardens. In total, there are six bedrooms and six bathrooms spread over a total of 14,000 square feet. The structures feature distinctive thatched roofs designed by Vietnamese architecture firm VTN Architects, known for their bamboo pavilions.
“With layers of color, texture and whimsy, we were very intentional with what we brought in,” Lauder says. “I wanted it to be casual yet personal, and although somewhat untraditional in its architecture, I wanted it to feel like a home. We relied heavily on the natural elements around us and incorporated local details wherever possible.”
The couple chose IM/KM Architecture due to their knowledge of the region and their commitment to architectural integrity and sustainability. In fact, the land Casa Loro sits on was once a barren cattle farm, and Zinterhofer spent more than a decade planting trees and cultivating biodiversity. Once the trees were mature enough, IM/KM harvested materials and hired local craftsmen to build furniture for the home, which ultimately led to the creation of their furniture line, Studio Tlalli.
“All the pavilions were built using locally available materials like teak and bamboo,” says Kristin Morales, founder and principal designer at IM/KM. “The teak is locally sourced and is our wood of choice because it is a planted tree. It is not native to Panama, so we know that specifying teak will not contribute to further deforestation in the region. The wood has a delicate matte finish, and the interiors have a slightly lighter color, which makes the rooms brighter and provides a contrast with the darker bamboo structure of the roofs.”
Lauder is known for her use of color, femininity, and whimsy, and Casa Loro is no different. Soft textures and a neutral color palette with vibrant pops of color are seen in nearly every room. It provides a sense of place via tropical design and bohemian style but has Lauder’s singular, playful sensibility.
The main house is comprised of a large pavilion that houses the main living spaces, including a dining room, kitchen and home office. The primary suite is housed in its own wing and includes a private plunge pool. Every room is awash with natural light and prioritizes indoor-outdoor living through floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors with views that frame either the jungle landscape or the crashing waves of the ocean.
Lauder says one of her favorite parts of the home is the indoor-outdoor living room in the main house with no walls, which features beachy decor like coconuts, palms, teak furniture, and shells they’ve found along the beach that fronts the property. There’s also a pool, a tennis court, equestrian facilities, a basketball court, gym/yoga deck, and staff quarters.
“The location is really isolated, so getting even the most basic necessities was an undertaking,” Lauder says. “Beyond the design, our home has an extremely positive social and environmental impact on the area. Our home also reflects the best of the destination—it is casual, colorful, relaxed, and inviting.”
Activities are endless and can include ATVing, kayaking, scuba diving, fishing, sailing, horseback riding, guided hikes, whale watching, and sea turtle release. When Lauder and her family aren’t enjoying their home, it can be rented exclusively via LVH.
Click here for more photos of Casa Loro.
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