The 953m2 Casa Siete is located in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and is the design of Hernandez Silva Arquitectura. While the back of the home faces west with all the social zones positioned to take advantage of the stunning views, the east side of the home opens wide as well, and while close to the street, the wood clad 8′ privacy fence keeps the interior spaces private while allowing both the natural daylight to flood the courtyard – but not the home – and the much needed cross breezes to pass through the inner zones on those hot summer days. A series of trees contained within square planters run the length of the courtyard softening up the horizontal wood boards on the fence just beyond.
From the street the wood clad privacy fence appears to be part of the home’s exterior walls and creates a warm contrast to the concrete surfaces on the rest of the facade. In the front the home is U shaped with the 2nd story extending out over the entrance, creating a covered walkway for all that approach. On the other side the double garage protrudes from the facade on a lower volume. Tall trees offer shade and privacy to the 2nd storey while the privacy fence does the same for the main level.
The 2nd story has a length of balconies running along its length and the roofline expands out and over the balconies for shade. A portion of the upper volume extends out over the entry area but is sheltered from the street with a concrete privacy panel.
The wood clad privacy wall morphs into a wood front porch at the point of connection with the entry stairs.
The porch is large and open and feels more like an outdoor room rather then the point of entry.
The shadow lines of the tall trees in front of the home and the potted trees on the porch create a dynamic abstract pattern that changes throughout the day.
Once inside the home a foyer offers a view to both the courtyard and the living space beyond. There is also a view upstairs via the tempered glass rail system on the mezzanine.
A concrete corridor is just past the mezzanine on the way to the living area of the Casa Siete. This hallway allows a direct route to the family room beyond.
On one side of the hallway is a marble stairwell that leads upstairs and on the other side is the living zone which opens up into a double volume space with exposed ceiling joists above and a huge expanse of window glazing opening up completely to the back yard for an indoor – outdoor living experience. Here the concrete wall exposes its fireplace to the living zone via a long and low opening.
Access to the living zone is via a marble pathway within the home that also acts as a divider between the interior space and the exterior courtyard. The concrete path lines up with the stairwell behind the foyer and matches the width of the ceiling level before it opens to the sky on the left and to the double volume living zone on the right. The linear effect of the marble path emphasizes the geometrical layout of the home – not even the tree planters are curvilinear.
The lower ceiling above the marble walkway is also the floor to the mezzanine above and the tempered glass rail systems allow for a view through and past the mezzanine to the sky above the courtyard. Sharing the living zone is the dining area and while the living area is comprised of a pair of soft white upholstered couches, the dining area is all black.
The living and dining area are flanked on both long sides with walls of glass that open up wide, while the short sides are relatively solid hiding the kitchen and office on one side and the fireplace on the other.
The concrete corridor is a direct indoor passage to the games room, however it is just as easy to get there via the large expanses of glass when they are open. In the family room a bar and pool table take centre stage.
There is also comfortable seating for those that don’t want to play pool.
The concrete corridor makes it easy to bypass the living zone when one wants to go upstairs.
Although the marble stairs are contained within two concrete walls they are kept well lit via the wall pots down near the treads and the clear story windows in the foyer that flood natural light up and over the concrete wall.
Once upstairs, another corridor leads off in 3 directions, the first direction leads to the Master Suite which is located directly above the games room.
The bathroom upstairs is also off of the corridor and is uncharacteristically textured for the Casa Siete. The relief pattern on the wall is a focal point as is the butcher block vanity. The butcher block is comprised of 1×6 boards laminated together and box jointed in the corners.
Another one of the corridors leads to the mezzanine that overlooks the living zone below. Adding a touch of verticality to this viewpoint is the stunning collection of amber glass pendants in various shapes and sizes that are hanging over the dining room table. The mezzanine is also fitted with wall pots for those that travel this way after dark.
The mezzanine continues around the corner in an L shape and leads to the children’s bedrooms as well as a family room and a gym that opens up to the courtyard. The tempered glass rail system allows those both upstairs and down a clear view of the complete area.
Access to the lower levels on this end of the home is via a second, outdoor stairwell comprised of white powder coated steel.
The tempered glass rail system has been replaced with a horizontal steel grid, also with a white powder coating.
Once at the main level the stairs continue down to the garage with a steel balustrade but the treads are now concrete.
At the main level the stairs open up to the courtyard on the side of the home, right next to the kitchen.
Here an enclosed outdoor barbeque is easily accessed from the kitchen and any smoke created is kept away from the outdoor seating areas.
Behind the barbeque area the white powder coated stairs continue down a short slope to the front yard.
A pathway also leads to the front yard on the other side of the residence.
Almost the complete length of the residence can be opened up to the backyard terrace, which is comprised of large pavers. Just beyond the pavers is a large expanse of grass.
In the evening the home is flooded with light that spills out onto the terrace allowing for continued indoor – outdoor living well after dark.
Even the facade of the home is lit up via the uplights below the trees and the embedded pots within the stairwell.
Hernandez Silva Arquitectura
Photography by Carlos Diaz Corona
