To say interior designer and stylist Erick Millan’s is a master of bold, vibrant spaces is an understatement. We first saw his eclectic, colorful style with his very first finished project, the small Burbank, California rental we toured a few years ago. Bursting with verdant greenery and one-of-a-kind DIYs, his new rental home in Mexico follows suit. Only this time there’s even more plants, color and DIY.

Just like in his California rental, a plant wall is a main focal point of the living space. In his Mexico rental, the plant wall works in tandem with the plants spilling out from an outdoor patio…this home is the literal definition of “bringing the outdoors in.”

In this home, wood again plays an important decorative role. In the last tour, we saw rough, reclaimed wood creating textures on different walls in the rental apartment. But here, wood takes on a more geometric, angular role — giving the home a very modern feel.

And those are birds you are spotting in some of the photographs; they are models that Erick hired from a bird veterinarian named Sandia and Carolina (both female guacamayas). The only full-time pets that live in the house are two pups, Pablo and Susy (unfortunately not photographed!).

My style: Eclectic maximalism

Inspiration: Jungles, Mexican folk art, plants, feathers

Favorite element: The monkey lamps by Seletti

Biggest challenge: The meditation space

What friends say: That it’s very fun, playful and alive

Biggest embarrassment: The day I had the photo shoot, the birds were pooping every where and messing up some of my furniture.

Proudest DIY: The partition wall that divides the living room and the dining room. It was a real challenge to attach it to the ceiling.

Biggest indulgence: Buy plants and put them wherever there is a free spot. The more plants the better.

Best advice: Don’t overthink the design process; have fun with it. Play music while you are decorating. Dance when you get stuck and things will flow much better. Let loose!

Dream sources: Studio Ilse, Emily Henderson, Nate Berkus, The Jungalow

Erick actually made theses special images with product call-outs below!

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