Eight of Mexico’s most stunning modern homes

3. Rain Harvest Home, co-designed by Javier Sanchez Arquitectura and Robert Hutchison Architecture

This is a family-owned pit terrace in Valle de Bravo, a popular vacation destination for Mexico City residents, that was completed in 2020. Rainwater is collected in this space, which contains a bathroom, a plunge pool under a skylight, a steam shower and a solar-powered sauna. Although there is no clear separation between inside and outside, this room provides shelter – vital in Mexico where it rains heavily from June to October. “It’s an experimental house,” Javier Sanchez, one of the architects at the practice, told the BBC. “It is rare to build houses out of wood in Mexico.” The walls and ceiling are made of pine. Sanchez adds that ferns and oak were planted here “to honor the forest that was once here.”

Richard Powers/Courtesy of Rizzoli New York

4. Casa de Tierra Catarina by Taler Hector Barroso

Casa de Tierra-Catarina’s outdoor terrace is designed to blend in with its rural lakeside surroundings. The interior of the house was created by Mexican design studio Habitación 116. Barroso is interested in traditional building methods and materials. This house is made of rammed earth, while its wooden roof provides shelter from the hot sun and rain alike. Volcanic stone fire pits keep residents and their guests warm in the evenings in the winter months. “In winter in Mexico, it’s sunny most days, so the balcony is also a great place to spend time,” Hector Barroso tells the BBC.

Richard Powers/Courtesy of Rizzoli New York

5. Casa Izar by Alonso de Garay from Taller ADG

This is the main living room of Casa Izar, a newly built house designed by Taller ADG. The house is inspired by local mountain cabins with sloping roofs and deep eaves. The wide window draws the eye to the perfect view of trees, lake and mountains. The interior, designed by Estudio MDB, celebrates local crafts and materials: its coffee table and outdoor pool are made of volcanic rock. Her ceramics are made of black clay (“Barro negro) which was found in the southeastern state of Oaxaca, was manufactured by Mexico City-based design studio David Bomba.