Made to accompany life and the passing of time, Casa El Espino opens to the landscape without losing its composure, framing the mountains and lake through measured openings.
Casa El Espino appears as a canopy, sitting between a jungle and a pine forest in the Valle de Bravo, México. This relationship to land places the single-level home within a duality of warm and dry climates, responding to the gentle slope it is placed on through subtle elevation shifts.
Soler Orozco Arquitectos (SOA) and DIRECCIÓN come together at the intersection of architecture and interiors. Their shared understanding of the site’s colours, views and vegetation supports the built form to endure and belong to its context. Location scouting was guided by the client’s desire for a “one story house that hinted at a barn,” which, according to SOA co-founder Juan Soler, ensured that “basic traditional geometry stuck throughout all stages of the design process, too.”
However, the project went through an important change when “elements such as the guest bedrooms and the grounds caretaker’s quarters were required to be reconfigured and the building’s position had to be adjusted,” Alan Orozco, who co-founded the studio alongside Sole, adds. This shift in the home’s architectural intent extended to integrating a large water reservoir, requiring the team to continually adapt to site conditions.
The living area features sofas in rosa morada wood with linen upholstery and bouclé cushions, alongside lava stone coffee tables and a curated mix of vintage lounge chairs.
The dining area is accented by a Santa & Cole lamp, while a sculptural vase by Perla Valtierra introduces a distinct design within the living spaces.
This sensitivity is evident in the central area of the home, marked by a sand coloured gravel courtyard enclosed by the main house and guest annex. Select natural elements are retained to strengthen the connection to place, including a singular tree that is local to the area, which anchors the open space and pool. The social heart of the home blends kitchen, dining and living into one continuous space, unified through earth-toned walls, grey stone floors and oxidised metals. Custom elements, including weathered steel windows and lighting, sit alongside locally sourced volcanic stone sinks, known as ‘recinto’. Concrete, stone and wood are employed cohesively, yet never dominating, “it is the composition of walls, paths, patios, heights, but also the materials conveying this intent to the spaces,” Soler says.
Although framed by its interiors, these spaces shift with light and time. Morning light lifts the mist from the mountains, midday sun casts shadows across the patios, and by evening, light is seen softly through skylights. Each atmosphere is shaped and dependent by external conditions. “One may intend and plan to create all of this,” Orozco says, “but there is always a degree of uncertainty—the most beautiful part of the building is being surprised at the results.”
Pigmented concrete walls reflect the tones of the earth, paired with sandblasted sintra stone brick flooring and dark-stained pine ceilings add depth.
Bathroom fittings are stainless steel by Porcelanosa.
Millwork and vanities were designed by SOA and DIRECCIÓN, in natural and dark-stained oak with lava stone, paired with Agape terracotta basins.
Furniture throughout is predominantly custom-designed by DIRECCIÓN, including sofas, consoles, tables, beds, and decorative lamps.
Window frames are custom fabricated in oxidised metal, introducing industrial character through a subtle patina that balances the home’s otherwise natural palette.
Lighting is custom-designed by SOA with Nuumbra downlights, while a Viabizzuno Silère wall lamp by David Chipperfield marks the main entrance.
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