Houzz Tour: A Tale of Two Courtyards
Architects from Mexico design their modern dream home in Phoenix based on the haciendas of their ancestors
Camille LeFevre
9 July 2017
Houzz Contributor. Arts journalist specializing in design and architecture. Former editor of Architecture Minnesota, editor of Innovative Design Quarterly, contributor to Midwest Home and HomeDish blog, contributor to Architect's Newspaper and author of the monograph Charles R. Stinson: Compositions in Nature. Have also written for Architect, ICON and Architectural Record. On my bucket list: Modernism Week in Palm Springs; happy to have done Modernism Week in Phoenix in 2017!! More at camillelefevre.org
Houzz Contributor. Arts journalist specializing in design and architecture. Former... More
Two architects originally from Mexico designed a modern home in the Longview West neighborhood of central Phoenix using the hacienda and its signature courtyards as inspiration. The couple’s home revolves around two interior courtyards: a main courtyard next to a wall of glass and transparent doors that allow for the indoor-outdoor lifestyle, and an open space between the house and an exterior garage space that’s used for entertaining friends and family.
Photography by High Res Media
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple, Dora Castillo and Rafael Castro, who are both architects
Location: Phoenix
Size: 1,898 square feet (176.3 square meters)
Designers: Dora Castillo and Rafael Castro of RD Design Team
A clean, cool, modern design captivates passers-by without revealing the openness and warmth of the courtyard design within. Architect and homeowner Dora Castillo says that “sensual procession from the street to the front door” begins with a walk down the long concrete bridge built over a drainage basin. The concrete walkway lights up at night to guide guests. The white synthetic stucco exterior is low maintenance and connects to the homeowners’ Mexican heritage.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple, Dora Castillo and Rafael Castro, who are both architects
Location: Phoenix
Size: 1,898 square feet (176.3 square meters)
Designers: Dora Castillo and Rafael Castro of RD Design Team
A clean, cool, modern design captivates passers-by without revealing the openness and warmth of the courtyard design within. Architect and homeowner Dora Castillo says that “sensual procession from the street to the front door” begins with a walk down the long concrete bridge built over a drainage basin. The concrete walkway lights up at night to guide guests. The white synthetic stucco exterior is low maintenance and connects to the homeowners’ Mexican heritage.
From the house’s front entrance and foyer, the sound of a waterfall can be heard coming from the Cor-Ten steel fountain in the first, or central, courtyard. The large, open living space opens onto this main courtyard, where large cement pavers and grass create an artful design.
The main living, dining and kitchen spaces are all in one room facing the central courtyard. A combination of glass walls and huge transparent patio doors allows for the indoor-outdoor lifestyle so appropriate to the climate in Phoenix. The exposed and sealed concrete floors, double low-emissivity windows (which emit low levels of heat energy) and highly insulated roof and walls contribute to the sustainable aspects of the house.
The master bedroom also looks out onto the central courtyard. By having the bedroom and main living spaces facing the courtyard, “it’s more usable because it can be enjoyed from almost every angle of the house, especially because most of the time there is shade in the area, and the fountain sounds make it very enjoyable,” Castillo says. Castillo and Castro created the sliding wood door from dilapidated fences in the neighborhood.
Off the master bedroom is the master bath, which includes a floor-to-ceiling wall of glass that gives people the sense of showering outside, while still being safely indoors.
Above is a view of the central courtyard, which opens to the main living and kitchen areas, and the master bedroom. “Haciendas are an essential part of Mexican architecture history,” Castillo says. “They were designed with a central open-space area called plazas or courtyards, which most of the time had fountains and trees to make the area fresh and relaxing so people could enjoy them more.”
The second courtyard is on the north side of the house next to a garage that has been converted into an entertainment area with a kitchen and gathering space. This entertainment and social area features a bar. “During social events we have the garage door open, and it gives the impression of a bigger open space,” Castillo says. “That way, you can enjoy activities happening inside the garage as well as the ones happening on the courtyard,”
When the couple’s daughters stop by for a visit (one is a filmmaker, the other is in theater), they love to perform karaoke in this open entertainment space, which includes a flat-screen television and speakers.
The garage bar countertops are covered in recycled quartz. Leftover metal from a trellis was used to build the shelving covering the back wall of the bar.
The rooftop deck of the house features expansive views of central Phoenix. “Our home not only fills in a previously empty site in the area, it also serves to revitalize a low-income neighborhood with its high-end design,” Castillo says. “The house combines our contemporary aesthetic informed by our Mexican roots with a sensitivity toward the needs of our desert city.”
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Very impressed by the design of the fountain ! Otherwise, this house is not my style at all, the buidings of the company I work in look kind of like this (white boxes with huge glass sliding doors and cement floor). Doesn't feel warm/cosy in my opinion. But to each his own, I'm sure the owners feel very much at home. Designing your own house must be a thrill for a couple of architects.
This would be the home I would like to retire in. Amazing talent from amazing people.
I am glad I am able to see new and unique ideas made into reality with those styles. I am awestruck at the creativity and beautiful blending of glass, wood and metal.