Escape Route
Wallpaper
|January 2023
A picturesque Mexican bolthole makes a dreamily idyllic retreat
In the evergreen woodlands of Mexico's Valle de Bravo, seasons arrive subtly and discreetly. 'Autumn here isn't orange, and winter isn't white,' says architect Bernardo Chavez Peón. But while local pine and ash trees stand perennially verdant, the landscape's gentle variations are discernible. 'On the ground, where shrubs and flowers grow, you can see radical changes throughout the year,' he says. There, nestled between hills on a barren strip of land once used for agriculture, now stands a home designed by Chavez Peón as a weekend retreat for a family of five. This is the first residential project by the architect, who established his Mexico City-based practice in 2019.
Incorporating the shifts of the natural surroundings into the architecture was Chavez Peón's principal intention. He recalls his clients saying, during initial visits to the site, that they would be happy with little more than a tent there. The idea was for them to go not only for the house, but for the site itself,' he says, adding that in the common areas, he wanted to erase the boundary between interior and exterior.
One particular view became the project's focus: in the distance, fog settles between two overlapping hills, creating a dynamic play of light and shadows. An expansive living room, described by the architect as the heart of the home, is oriented towards this spectacle.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 2023-Ausgabe von Wallpaper.
Abonnieren Sie Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierter Premium-Geschichten und über 9.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Sie sind bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
WEITERE GESCHICHTEN VON Wallpaper
Wallpaper
THE BEAUTY OF...
Looking for a life reset? Take a deep breath and dive into a new beginning
2 mins
January 2026
Wallpaper
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
We profile six image makers who revel in the sensorial, playing with proximity, presence and physicality to offer an irreverent and immersive view of our world
7 mins
January 2026
Wallpaper
INNER CIRCLES
SANAA's new paradigm-shifting, cube-shaped cultural hub in Taiwan contains a world of sweeping curves and flowing possibilities immersed in a natural setting
4 mins
January 2026
Wallpaper
Skill set
The next-generation designers redrawing the creative landscape
10 mins
January 2026
Wallpaper
MEXICAN WAVE
Meet the experimental young architects that are challenging the status quo
15 mins
January 2026
Wallpaper
Get into shape
A compact home gym pulls its weight in the contemporary chic department
1 min
January 2026
Wallpaper
SUCCESS STORY
Rising young artist Shaqúelle Whyte rewrites classical narratives with his expressive brushstrokes, imbuing his works with physicality, ambiguity and rhythm
2 mins
January 2026
Wallpaper
NIGHT SHIFT
When contributing editor Nick Vinson turned 60 this year, his focus shifted to how to live better for longer. So he checked into Lanserhof's state-of-the-art health resort, on the German island of Sylt, to try out its Sleep Well programme, which aims to improve long-term sleep quality through personalised therapy
3 mins
January 2026
Wallpaper
Time shift
A serendipitous collaboration between innovative watch brand Ressence and Marc Newson dials up on the industrial designer's earlier cult offerings
2 mins
January 2026
Wallpaper
SLEEPER HIT
The Orient Express pulls into Rome, paying homage to the golden age of travel in its first hotel, just footsteps from the Pantheon
3 mins
January 2026
Translate
Change font size

