A House On A Small Plot With A Secret Entertainment Area Under The Deck

Just because a house is built on a small piece of land doesn’t mean it has to be modest and to sacrifice comfort for privacy or looks for function. This house in Merida, Mexico sits on a small site and this doesn’t really influence it in any negative way. The house was completed in 2016 by R79 and one of its most notable characteristics is the lack of a clear physical barrier between the indoor and the outdoor spaces.

Casa abierta features patterned tiles on the bathroom wall
The design of the house is interesting in the sense that it’s open to the outdoors but not in a very obvious way
Casa abierta features patterned tiles on the bathroom wall
It’s the back facade that’s the most open towards the outdoors, featuring sliding glass walls

The front and rear facades of the houses are in contrast with each other. On one hand, the front of the house is pretty closed off, with no direct connection between the interior and exterior areas and with solid walls as opposed to full-height windows. The back facade, on the other hand, has sliding glass doors and walls that fully open the ground floor to the deck, pool and garden.

Casa abierta features patterned tiles on the bathroom wall
At the front, the house is more closed off and solid in order to ensure the needed privacy
Casa abierta features patterned tiles on the bathroom wall
At the rear of the house there’s this secret entertainment area under the terrace
Casa abierta features patterned tiles on the bathroom wall
The interior living area is connected to the deck and then the pool and the garden

The house is organized on two floors with a separate entertainment area situated beneath the deck at the rear of the site. The ground floor extends outside and also incorporates the lounge and dining spaces out on the roofed deck. Strictly indoors there’s an open plan which houses the living and dining spaces. The kitchen is a semi-detached space with its own connection to the outdoors.

Casa abierta features patterned tiles on the bathroom wall
The deck is protected by a roof and serves as an extension of the indoor social spaces
Casa abierta features patterned tiles on the bathroom wall
The staircase that connects the two floors is built around a tree
Casa abierta features patterned tiles on the bathroom wall
The interior dining area has a beautiful live edge table as a focal point
Casa abierta features patterned tiles on the bathroom wall
The living and dining areas are seamlessly connected to the exterior spaces

Every room on the ground floor has a view of the outdoors as well as access to the deck and garden. The upstairs level is a private zone. It contains the bedrooms which, although open to the views, have shutters which allow them to be completely separated from the exterior for more privacy and intimacy.

Casa abierta features patterned tiles on the bathroom wall
The kitchen is spacious and has its own connection to the outdoor deck
Casa abierta features patterned tiles on the bathroom wall
The living area is a casual space with a relaxed and cozy ambiance and an open look

The two floors are connected by a staircase which was built around a tree. All the spaces, indoor and outdoor, are simple in terms of colors and materials. The architects used wood, stone, glass, steel and concrete to create this seamless and natural connection with the surroundings and neutral and earthy colors to emphasize these details.

Casa abierta features patterned tiles on the bathroom wall
The walls and ceiling here are textured and have a raw, unfinished look
Casa abierta features patterned tiles on the bathroom wall
The bedrooms are situated upstairs are they’re decorated with a lot of wood
Casa abierta features patterned tiles on the bathroom wall
This bathroom is quite small and yet it feels open, airy and spacious