OFF THE GRID

A California designer transformed a rustic beach house in remote East Cape Baja into the chicest surf spot on the Sea of Cortez

THE ENTRANCE

"The houses down here [in Baja California's East Cape region] don't have addresses," says homeowner/designer Raili Clasen. "They have names. Let's just say we named this La Caja because it means box or cash register in Spanish. And it was fitting, because the house really is a box, and it was also a bit of a money pit." The entrance to the house features a stone box for foot-washing and a gravel courtyard. "I love the two wild trees that flank the front gate," says Raili. "There is no interior stairwell, so you have to use the outside stairwell to go from one floor to the next. It's true indoor-outdoor living." The house runs on solar power, and every month a truck delivers water to the home's well.

THE WHALE-WATCHING ZONE

The great room-which is on the upstairs level of the home-boasts some of the best views in the house. Raili chose a charcoal gray canvas sectional to optimize seating in one corner. "We call this the whale-watching space, because you can sit here and get totally lost watching the whales passing by."

Some people travel to Baja California's remote East Cape region in search of the perfect wave. Designer Raili Clasen ended up finding the perfect beach house. "It wasn't that the house itself was perfect. It was far from it, to be honest," says the designer, who is based in Newport Beach, California.

"But its location couldn't be better." Raili's husband, Ryan, had been popping back and forth to Baja with his three best surfing buddies for eight years, staying in a humble surf shack every time. "It is so remote-as in, no electricity or water services, no infrastructure at all," she says. "You take dirt roads to get here. But this beach has been a secret surf spot for years, attracting some of the best surfers in the world. No one comes here for the amenities. They come for the waves."