With his typical mastery, Mexican architect Diego Villaseñor has created a residence in Los Cabos, Mexico, that appears to be simultaneously ancient and brand new.
Gorgeous in texture and angles, the house belongs to the scenery not just because it is made of local prehistoric lava rock but because it lets natural light do its magic.
Guadalajara, Jalisco-born Villaseñor, established his architectural firm DVA in 1976. Since that time, he has completed well over 100 projects in Mexico, Latin America, United States, the Caribbean and the Persian Gulf.
Luxury villas and hotels as well as various tourism developments have all benefited from his ability and experience with local materials and local nature.
With his architect wife Ana Maria Maldonado, Villaseñor lives in a Mexico City suburb of San Miguel Chapultepec where they have created not only a home and work studio but also a massive garden where much is left to nature and where over-gardening is avoided.
Villaseñor’s love of local natural plant life is evident in his residential and hotel projects as well. In most cases, as with the palm trees and grasses in this Los Cabos property, the plants and views become an integral part of the architecture.
The textures of the palm tree trunks, the lava rocks and the stone and pebble flooring appear to be repeated in the sky and in the ripples of the pool.
The result is a beautiful balance of serenity and dynamism – an enviable achievement by any standard. Tuija Seipell
