Ancha House in Yucatan Is The Perfect Indoor-Outdoor Space

Contemporary homes are increasingly combining the idea of a lovely vacation and a relaxing ambiance with a functional modern home that does it all. Instead of flying several hundred miles during each holiday season or frantically trying to beat traffic and congestion, a staycation makes things a lot simpler, far more economic and also helps in bringing families together. And if you have a yard, deck and pool like the Ancha House in Yucatan, Mexico, then the holiday at home seems magical as well! Designed by Augusto Quijano Arquitectos, the refined contemporary residence was crafted for a couple whose kids no longer lived at home.

Pool area and front yard of the luxurious home in Yucatan












Since the home did not have to accommodate spaces for kids, there was a certain amount of design freedom that the architects gladly tapped into. The open and long living area is flanked by dining space and kitchen on one end and the bedroom on the other. Large glass doors and walls connect the front section of the interior with the spacious yard, wooden deck and pool. The rear is carefully hidden away and contains comfortable private spaces. A smart indoor-outdoor interplay, ample shaded space and a beautifully lit pool deck help set the backdrop for an ideal staycation!

RELATED: Dream Hangout: Contemporary Pool House in Porto Alegre Unveils Lakeside Paradise!

Lovely yard and pool connecting the different wings of the house
Large overhang protects the open living room from direct sunlight
Ingenious contemporary home is all about outdoor living at its relaxing best
Contemporary outdoor chairs and small side table for the poolside deck
Beautifully lit deck and yard with alfresco dining
Wooden partitions delineate space in style

The great hall becomes the heart of the house with a neutral color scheme using gray and white creating a polished and inviting ambiance. Art work adds pops of color to each space with widen partitions and cabinets ushering in textural contrast. Décor is kept intentionally understated with the focus firmly on the inviting yard just outside. Calming, charming and contemporary – this Mexican residence offers a great template for anyone planning to create a home that can host a lovely staycation! [Photography: Eduardo Calvo Santisbón]

RELATED: Sun, Shade and a Spectacular Courtyard: Contemporary AN House in Brazil

Gray and white interior of the Ancha House
Relaxing loungers and understated decor shape the long, spacious living
Spacious contemporary kitchen in white with a dashing breakfast bar
Polished contemporary bedroom in gray and white
Sliding glass doors connect the interior with the pool space outside
Street facade of the Ancha House in Yucatan, Mexico
Floor plan of the Ancha House in Mexico

You’re reading Ancha House in Yucatan Is The Perfect Indoor-Outdoor Space, originally posted on Decoist. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Decoist on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Similar Posts

  • Where to Put the New, Big Television in Your Home: Placement Guide and Ideas

    Black Friday sales are picking up pace and many, as always, are looking around their home and thinking ways in which they can add something new to the interior. If there is one big mover this time of the year, then it is undoubtedly the big, flat screen TV. It is a hit almost all […]

    You’re reading Where to Put the New, Big Television in Your Home: Placement Guide and Ideas, originally posted on Decoist. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Decoist on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

  • House LV1 (house nanchi 1 y 2)

    CASA LV1 (casa nanchi 1 y 2)
    BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE CONSTRUCTION
    The Casa LV1 (casa nanchi 1 and 2), is a multi-familiar conformed by two houses constructed in the same land, the main material used for its construction was white striated concrete.
    DESCRIPTIVE MEMORY
    The Casa LV1 (casa nanchi 1 and 2) is a complex of two houses designed for a family an elderly couple, their young daughter and their granddaughter. Each house has the necessary privacy for each development, with the interrelationship and coexistence of the family; they are located in an irregular diamond-shaped land of approximately 250m2, a gradient over 10% with a view to the southeast.
    The Casa nanchi 1, on its main floor has: living room, dinning room, kitchen, bathroom, main bedroom with closet and its own bathroom, this floor is directly connected with the service area; the lower floor has a hall, two bedrooms with closet and its own bathroom; the upper floor has a roofed recreation room and a garden terrace. All the floors are connected by a stair, and has a parking lot. The total constructed surface is of 160 m2.
    The Casa nanchi 2 has on its main floor: living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom and service area; on the upper floor it has: main bedroom with closet and its own bathroom, an additional bedroom with closet, a little play room and a bathroom; on the lower floor, where the entrance is, has: two parking lots and an exterior stair which is connected to the other floors. The total constructed surface of the house is 145 m2 excluding parking lots.
    Both houses share main entrance, service yard, green spaces and services.
    The houses are named after the nanchi tree (byrosonimacrassifolia) that is located in that land; it was respected and the project was adapted around it, to make it a natural decoration for the dinning room of the Casa nanchi 1. This house was designed for an elderly couple and it has a terrace in the upper floor, which is a recreational and relaxing space with a view of the surroundings to enjoy with the company of family, friends and guests. It has a double-height space which allows the development of the tree.
    The design of the Casa nanchi 2, which was designed for the daughter and granddaughter of the family, is inspired in the Brno chair, designed by the architect Ludwig Mies van ser Rohe, which not only allows a large volume, but also an efficient and free structural principle because with this solution is obtained an overhang of 4.85 m with a support of 2.85 m, generating a space without any support under the construction.
    The concept of the houses is derogates no only from the connection (interior-familiar, exterior-landscape), but also from the visual freedom that people perceive before entering in the house and also in the interior of them. This is fulfilled by the volumetric integration that defined the spaces of each house, both prisms have specific substractions that allow a formal integration of the two elements; in the Casa nanchi 1 the terrace is subtracted and in the Casa nanchi 2 the parking area is subtracted, transforming both elements without losing its integrity.
    The connection of both houses is so important that is not only achieved materially with the union of the two architectonic objects from the common entrance, connotating the link of the family, but also with the landscape, through the transparency in the facade of the two houses, which creates a visual freedom for the inhabitants. This gives a greater illumination of the spaces, producing a feeling of spaciousness and allows the air circulation due to the large windows that are handled by the users.
    The material, white striated exposed concrete and stone dust of the region, recalls the honesty of the materials, this simplicity benefits the environment, because it doesn’t use coatings in walls, fooors or roofs, contributing the less possible to the pollution. The exposed finishes means less production, transportation and utilization of pollutant materials. As said before, the free circulation of air allows a constant cleaning of the interior air which allows a natural regulation of the temperature, achieving termic comfort for the users and reducing the use of electronic devices that cools artificially the place. Besides, the same large windows avoid the unnecessary use of artificial illumination during the day allowing the entrance of sunlight in the morning.

  • Suncrest Residence

    This new residence is located on a pristine site comprised of a mature douglas fir and pacific madrone forest, with occasional rocky clearings and several small ponds. Our clients desired a work of architecture that minimized site impacts while creating a work of architecture that utilized their favorite materials (wood and concrete) and connected them intimately with the land and the view. The home is situated where the forest gives way to a large rocky clearing with views to the sea. The structure is ‘wrapped’ around a prominent outcropping of rock and carefully situated to require a minimum of tree removal. The long, narrow footprint of the home allows every room a view of the sea while also retaining a strong connection to the surrounding forest. Merit Award – AIA NW & Pacific Honor Awards, 2011 Merit Award – AIA Honor Awards for Washington Architecture, 2010