A Caracas house is inspired by the Venezuelan jungle
A residential design set in lush greenery in Caracas, the Jungle House, created in collaboration between Miami's Oppenheim Architecture and Venezuela's Croig Arquitectos, draws inspiration from the ragged volumes of old ruins and the South American country's jungles
Miami based Oppenheim Architecture has collaborated with Caracas firm Croig Arquitectos on a new residential project in the Venezuelan capital. The Jungle House appears calm and confident, set within its green setting, basking under the Caracas sun.
The team explains: the design was inspired by the ragged, solid volumes of ruins that have been engulfed by jungle – an iconic image of ancient Central and South American sites. The house, made out of concrete and clad in textured local stone, creates a similar – yet thoroughly contemporary – impression, placed among verdant gardens, which also feature a shimmering, long swimming pool at the edge of the property.
Inside however, the house transforms into an elegant luxurious home, lined in bespoke joinery and HeartOak Dinesen flooring, and featuring large windows that bathe the interiors with light and open up framed views of the outdoors.
This relationship between inside and outside was key, explain the architects. ‘As you go from the kitchen to the living room, you always transit through the patio which was what the client intended,' they say. ‘This is a family home with a hub in the heart of the house where the family can gather – reading books or playing the piano.'
Natural materials and a neutral colour palette ensure the building feels serene and cocooning; while palm trees and tropical foliage outside ‘carry the sounds of the jungle', the architects add.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
The moments fashion met art at the 60th Venice Biennale
The best fashion moments at the 2024 Venice Biennale, with happenings from Dior, Golden Goose, Balenciaga, Burberry and more
By Jack Moss Published
-
Crispin at Studio Voltaire, in Clapham, is a feast for all the senses
New restaurant Crispin at Studio Voltaire is the latest opening from the brains behind Bistro Freddie and Bar Crispin, with interiors by Jermaine Gallagher
By Billie Brand Published
-
Vivienne Westwood’s personal wardrobe goes up for sale in landmark Christie’s auction
The proceeds of ’Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection’, running this June, will go to the charitable causes she championed during her lifetime
By Jack Moss Published
-
Extraordinary escapes: where would you like to be?
Peruse and lose yourself in these extraordinary escapes; there's nothing better to get the creative juices flowing than a healthy dose of daydreaming
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Year in review: top 10 houses of 2022, selected by Wallpaper* architecture editor Ellie Stathaki
Wallpaper’s Ellie Stathaki reveals her top 10 houses of 2022 – from modernist reinventions to urban extensions and idyllic retreats
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Roz Barr’s terrace house extension is a minimalist reimagining
Terrace house extension by Roz Barr Architects transforms Victorian London home through pared-down elegance
By Nick Compton Published
-
Tree View House blends warm modernism and nature
North London's Tree View House by Neil Dusheiko Architects draws on Delhi and California living
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Maison de Verre: a dramatic glass house in France by Studio Odile Decq
Maison de Verre in Carantec is a glass box with a difference, housing a calming interior with a science fiction edge
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Modernist Coromandel farmhouse refreshed by Frankie Pappas, Mayat Hart and Thomashoff+Partner
An iconic Coromandel farmhouse is being reimagined by the South African architectural collaborative of Frankie Pappas, Mayat Hart and Thomashoff+Partner
By Nick Compton Last updated
-
East London house extension infuses Victorian home with warm modernism
Blurton Road by London architecture studio Emil Eve is a residential extension project that transforms a modest Clapton house
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Pergola Extension transforms Victorian Melbourne home
Pergola Extension by Krisna Cheung Architects offers a contemporary touch to a Victorian Melbourne property, infusing it with sustainability and generosity of space
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated