Escape Route

A picturesque Mexican bolthole makes a dreamily idyllic retreat

- By Ana Karina Zatarain

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.