Depa H

Interior of the apartment facing the open air terrace.

Project details

• Project Name: Depa H
• Location of Site: Mexico City, Mexico
• Design Team: Alejandro Villarreal and Fatima Costa-Laurent
• Project Type: Interior design of an apartment
• Client: Villarreal Ramirez Corzo family
• Contractor/s: Arq. Mauricio Ferrer
• Site Area: 111.70 sq m
• Built-up Area: 83.30 sq m
• Cost of Construction: $60000 USD
• Date of completion: 2006

Full view of the apartment.

Words from the architect

The client brief required a calm, cozy, and welcoming interior, that could ease the strain of living in a big city.

The project consists in the interior design of an apartment, where the main element is a wooden mantle that extends itself throughout the apartment hosting the main space (bed, dining room, kitchen, and living room) continuing out to the exterior, thus creating an open air terrace.

View from the water pond.

This mantle is inspired in the traditional "rebozo" (women's hand woven wraps) with their sheltering character and the sensuality of their textures.

We decided to use only three materials: wood, plastic floor, and white stucco.

The wood mantle was carefully worked on, from the selection of the wood species (asian teak), to the directionality of the wooden boards, and their interaction with small aluminum sections, thus creating an element that offers continuity, warmth and protection.

Interior of the apartment.

The white plastic floor and white stucco were used as neutral backdrops in which this wooden mantle could flourish.

Detail of dining table, curtain, and closets.

The architectural program includes the main space, a closet area, main bathroom, guest bathroom, a service area, and a 312.15 sq/ft terrace with enough space to host a dining area, a flower pot with bugambilia flowers, and a water pond with a large iron pot containing a jacaranda tree.

View from the exterior towards the kitchen.

Credits

• Text: Alejandro Villarreal
• Photographs: Fernando Cordero