From the outside, Casa San Cristobal looks much like the other homes in Mérida’s historic center, with a tall plaster wall that faces the street—no front garden, no way to peek inside. The only signs that something special lies behind the pale-green facade are the sleek house numbers and two bright-blue doors.
These hints do little to prepare you for entering the dramatic 2,381-square-foot home that architectural designer Marc Perrotta shares with his husband, travel writer and editor John Newton, and their miniature Pinscher, Lily Beth. A towering front room spans the width of the property, the laptops on a concrete-top table and a low bookshelf running along
