An Introspective Brick Home in Mexico City Wraps Around a Jungle-Like Courtyard

ByMyProperty Life

The monolithic Casa Sierra Fría by industrial designer Hector Esrawe conceals a verdant interior with an imposing brick front.

The landscaping was created in collaboration with landscape architecture studio Entorno.

The concept of home is often synonymous with that of a sanctuary—a secluded retreat that offers escape from the world. It was this desire for privacy that drove the form of a home in Mexico City for a mother, who works as a hotelier, and her three daughters aged 15, 14, and 11. The resulting home—the first residential project by Mexican industrial designer Hector Esrawe—offers the family a verdant oasis hidden behind an imposing and protective brick facade.

The entire home is wrapped in a brick

The entire home is wrapped in a brick “skin” that extends onto the ground at the front and sides of the home. The entrance is found through a simple void in the facade beside a pond with floating vegetation that hints at the verdant interior. 

Read another article:Design Trends for Creating a Vacation Vibe at Home

César Béjar

“The brief was mostly based on how to achieve moments of interaction amongst the family in everyday life,” says Esrawe. “The house provides a constant feeling of warmth and safety, and different spots that allow the family to relate to the courtyard and its lush expression.”

The landscaping was created in collaboration with landscape architecture studio Entorno.

The landscaping was created in collaboration with landscape architecture studio Entorno. “They are extremely talented and have a deep knowledge and understanding of the right composition and best expression of the plants inside a space,” says designer Hector Esrawe. 

Read another article:Hot Trends: 20 Best Farmhouse Style Kitchens in White and Wood

César Béjar

Casa Sierra Fría is located in Lomas de Chapultepec in Mexico City. The residential area surrounds Bosque de Chapultepec, one of the largest parks in the Western Hemisphere. Many of the buildings in the area date back to the 1920s, and feature traditional brick constructions, which inspired the materiality of the monolithic built form. “Because of its format and scale, it stands out immediately,” says Esrawe. “The brick relates to the property’s surroundings and is contemporary yet not invasive.”

Casa Sierra Fría is the first residential project by Esrawe Studio, the design studio founded by Mexican industrial designer Hector Esrawe in 2003. It is regarded as one of the best known design studios in the country.

Casa Sierra Fría is the first residential project by Esrawe Studio, the design studio founded by Mexican industrial designer Hector Esrawe in 2003. It is regarded as one of the best known design studios in the country. 

Read another article:Revamped Small Barcelona Apartment Combines Multiple Styles and Finishes

César Béjar

See the full story on Dwell.com: An Introspective Brick Home in Mexico City Wraps Around a Jungle-Like Courtyard
Related stories:

  • Budget Breakdown: A Murky 1920s Home in California Is Leveled Up for $232K
  • An Elegant Backyard Pavilion Lets an Australian Home Soak Up the Sun
  • Before & After: An Eco-Friendly Family’s 400-Square-Foot Cottage Teems With Plant Life

Similar Posts

  • W72nd Penthouse

    Located in the historic Oliver Cromwell Building, The W72nd penthouse inhabits the top three floors of the historic building in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. With commanding views of Central Park, it’s an awe-inspiring refuge from the frenetic pace of NYC. The clients, a financier and a tech entrepreneur, one from Pakistan and the other a Detroit native, longed for a cozy retreat to counterbalance their busy lifestyle. The fusion of two cultural backgrounds are apparent in the mixtures of textiles and material selections throughout the home. With two growing daughters and a steady stream of houseguests, the project aimed to accommodate their family as well as act as a secluded shelter away from city life. The space is first met with a glimpse of a stunning oak herringbone floors and steel circular staircase that connects all three floors and serves as the central backbone of the space. Facing the staircase is the main floor living and dining area perfectly framed as the home’s first introduction to the space. The area showcases an eclectic art collection and a library for the voracious literary appetite of the homeowners along with objects of curiosity from the client’s travels. Instantly eye-catching is the dining area which features a stunning dining table and leather chairs and flanked by a banquette covered with a custom Suki Cheema textile. Adjacent is a small media room punctuated by a bright red Ligne Roset couch. The tiered floor plates provided a challenge for maximizing space as each level gets increasingly smaller as you go up. The design team began to think like a shipwright to design unexpected built-ins that evoke the feeling of being in a sailboat in the sky. On the second floor, up the oak and steel staircase, is small office, a bedroom with two beds in a unique head-to-toe configuration surrounded by figured maple built-in storage looking to the prominent views of the penthouse’s towering over Manhattan. Also, on the second floor is a bathroom, a small kitchenette, and a gracious balcony that continues to overlook to the busy cityscape below. The open spaces of the circular stairwell continue up to the third-floor feature integrated fire shutters that slide down to create privacy for the whole second floor. Continuing up the stairs is a generous master bedroom and master bath. The master bathroom is class wall to wall in hand- made colored Moroccan tile juxtaposed with modern fixtures and fittings.