“During the first visit to the site in the city of San Miguel de Allende, the magic was present. You had to listen to it, feel it and incorporate it to make it visible, palpable”, confessed Roy Azar. With this project, the architect was guided by the majestic setting characterized by vineyards, mountains and a lake.
After having lived fifteen years in the center of the charming and historic city of San Miguel de Allende, the owner – a French-American entrepreneur – felt the desire to get away from the hustle and bustle and settle on the outskirts to enjoy more tranquility. He asked Roy Azar to design a modern version of a country house. From a blank canvas, the architect conceived a single-storey house with clean lines, which extends over an area of 930 square meters and is organized in a “U” shape to maximize views.
“The design process began at the beginning of the pandemic, when I was confined to my house, away from the distractions of everyday life. This gave me the luxury of have the time to dream of the landscape. The peaceful landscape, the contemporary architectural volumes and the local materials came together naturally”, said Azar. Three main materials were used to build the entire house: black concrete, cream limestone and oak wood, in its purest forms. “This was the initial palette, the rest were just accessories,” he continued.
Obsidian, bronze mosaics and white marble cover some walls to create points of focus in the different spaces. “The design had to merge with the context. Everything had to be bright in terms of colors and rich in textures. Bathed in natural light on all its facades, the lobby welcomes and becomes a transition between outside and inside. In this free-standing pavilion, perforated walls allow air to circulate during the day and create mesmerizing light effects at night. The family stay connects with a garden zen which features large black obsidian boulders and magnolia trees. The kitchen looks directly at the lake and the jacaranda trees, and the outdoor area consists of an 18 meter long pool. “The master bedroom, as the center of the scene, allows you to have all the corners of the environment close. The unique dressing room, surrounded by windows and a large dome, allows us to see the movement of the sun according to the hours of the day, while in the background we find a space for reading, followingnoon siesta and meditation”, described the architect.
There are visual surprises thanks to the interior patios and the water elements, which reinforce a lifestyle that fuses the inside and the outside. “There is no space left to chance. Everything fits, embeds and has reason to be”, he assured.
At the same time elegant, comfortable and functional, the furniture and lamps were chosen to complement the architecture. Furniture by Italian designer Pietro Franceschini, fabrics by Pierre Frey, a handmade rug and pieces from Taller de Obsidiana, among others, adorn this home.
Everything was carefully thought out to awaken the senses, where the main protagonists are the natural elements. “In this house, time stops to live it in full tranquility”, concluded Roy Azar.
