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An Ageless Beauty in the Valle de Bravo Mexican Jungle

Mexican firm CHK arquitectura have concocted a dwelling that is quietly absorbed into the surrounding forest like an ancient ruin.

The Maza house is like an apparition in the forest of Valle de Bravo.

Parts of the naturally weathered concrete exterior look as if the house has been long abandoned to weeds, like a ruin that has seen better times.

But its cascades of terraced green roofs sprouting weedy growth top fully glazed interiors.

It is a restrained and elegant house that is full of surprises and contrasts.

Stained concrete gives way to the warmth of travertine floors and the civility of built-in dropped seating.

A bedroom is both completely in the jungle and is completely sheltered from it by the thick timber cladding.

Abundant use of heavy timber creates an almost cave-like shelter, rich with contrasts.

The monk-like simplicity of a serene listening spot for the call of the cicadas buzzing outside in the jungle.

The warmth and elegance of a utterly primitive and yet completely contemporary fireplace.

The warmth of wood in the open plan dining area is reflected in the recessed lighting in the heavy beams overhead.

Like the cascading roofs above, the open plan living/dining/entertaining space descends in levels.

The sunken entertaining space is the last of these, opening out to the ground level.

A natural pool outdoors suggests the peace and quiet of a slow moving stream in the forest.

Peaceful even is the complete lack of man-made landscaping.

Contrasting with the green-tinged glass and the weathered concrete, the quiet exterior features bookish wooden screens of dark teak.

It is a look at once unkempt and civilized.

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Design Dilemma: Stylish Home Offices

Remember the days in which the home office was that barren little room off the garage that got very little love? There was the leatherbound encyclopedia set ensconced in a laminate bookcase, complete with a matching laminate desk and a battered office chair? Occasionally, you’d catch the scent of motor oil.

Well, today’s home office has come a ways from those days. In part, that’s because technology today is light and lean, allowing us to transform any corner of our homes into an office with ease. It’s also because more of us are actually using the space, and not just to pay bills on Sunday evenings. Enter the home office of 2014.

First and foremost, today’s home office exudes personality. It’s easy to do in a new paperless environment. Fewer of us have books that need shelving or stacks of papers to file. So out with the bookcases and files!

Above, check out a modernist office in Palm Springs that runs very efficiently with a simple table, a comfortable chair and a good light. What helps with the sense of light and ease in the space is the wall-mounted lamp which saves on desk space.

Today’s home office can take on the style of the rest of your home. And it can also hide in plain sight! (Thanks to laptops). Take the office  above. Actually, it’s is just a corner of an industrial loft. It doesn’t stand out as a home office because it’s simply a desk on wheels accompanied by a vintage office chair.  Industrial-style ceiling lamps complete the look, without a lot of fuss or to-do.

Below is another home office (actually a corner of a room) that flows seamlessly in style with the rest of the home. Part of the coolness are the seating choices. Instead of the large, overbearing office chair, we see a molded acrylic chair. The Jacobsen egg chair plays wonderfully against the organic forms of the desk chair.  We sincerely hope it belongs to either a graphic designer or a jeans manufacturer!

Do you hate that feeling of being stuck inside having to work on a beautiful day? In the home office below, you can work and still feel as if you’re enjoying the outdoors. Again, notice the simplicity.

Feel like you need more of a “real” office? There are some traditional offices, with shelves and file cabinets that still offer a lot of style. In the office below, there are shelves available for books, a small file cabinet for desk supplies, a cubby hole for printers and modems, and even a television which can stand in as a larger monitor when necessary. True, everything is much reduced in size from the mega-desks of yesteryear. And that’s a plus in our book.

What else should you consider when setting up a home office?

• If you can, go for natural views. According to psychologists a window on trees, a gurgling brook or some other bit of nature helps make you feel less stressed. If you don’t have a window, try adding a plant.
• Use convertible furnishings. In other words, choose  work surfaces that can be easily rearranged to suit whatever your current need is.
• Put some thought into the art and colors. The color of the walls, the pattern of the rugs, the wall art, all contribute to a sense of well-being in your space. If your office feels cozy and welcoming, you’re more apt to work well in that space.

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Playa Vida Residence by Casis Architects Meets Unusual Brief

In Panama, Casis Architects have built four residences in the Playa Vida Residences to meet an unusual requirement.

They must have timeless beauty.

So the architects work from the theory of “La Idea Construida” of the Spanish architect Alberto Camplo Baeza, who exemplifies eternal beauty in architecture by taking light seriously as a construction element.

Luxury and elegance is explored throughout in the simplest of spaces, all beautifully lit.

The architects paint with light.

Direct unfiltered daylight is seen through a frame that itself diffuses light bathing it from the side.

The deliberate placement of light achieves a serene and eternal quality.

The tropical setting is an advantage, with its light in different qualities and quantities.

At the entrance, a soaring outdoor atrium shelters a stand of palm trees, and in its formal architecture suggests a Victorian conservatory.

This amazing four-storey niche for the mature trees becomes the defining image seen from the street.

A separate dialogue with gravity is created with indoor/outdoor spaces hung within the overarching roof frame.

The architecture is careful, formal; treating both light and gravity as basic construction elements.

Filtered light glides through the weight of stone.

Timeless beauty? Yes.