Tour this urban refuge of a home in the heart of a Mexican city

Casa Refugio by Taller Segovia Molina is a calm, cocooning urban retreat

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Mexican house designed as a refuge, tall walls, blind from street, plants and minimalist serenity inside
(Image credit: Zaickz)

This urban refuge set in a dense residential neighbourhood of Santiago de Querétaro, in central Mexico, is a home conceived to provide shelter and relaxation. The project, by architecture practice Taller Segovia Molina, is located in a populated suburb of the state capital – yet within the home, you would never guess its busy context, for its design was masterfully crafted to envelope its residents in an atmosphere that feels a lot more secluded than its geography might imply.

Mexican house designed as a refuge, tall walls, blind from street, plants and minimalist serenity inside

(Image credit: Zaickz)

Tour this Mexican home designed as an urban refuge

The clever design prepares the visitor to leave the outside world behind as they enter the home's inner world. 'From the street, the house appears as a contained, almost hermetic, volume that shelters its interior and creates an atmosphere of calm from the very first moment,' the architects explain.

Mexican house designed as a refuge, tall walls, blind from street, plants and minimalist serenity inside

(Image credit: Zaickz)

The home of a family, this 250 sq m refuge unfolds as an open, flowing living space on the ground level, leading out to an open-air courtyard at the rear of the plot. The open space serves as an urban garden, and views are oriented away from the street and towards this serene green patch, lit from above, the sunlight changing throughout the day.

Mexican house designed as a refuge, tall walls, blind from street, plants and minimalist serenity inside

(Image credit: Zaickz)

A staircase, smoothly enclosed within a barrel vault structure, leads up to the bedrooms and family bathrooms. Meanwhile, the primary bedroom suite occupies the entire topmost floor. All spaces here were designed to be intimate but open up towards the courtyard's green views, offering both opportunities for contemplation and the chance to follow the sun's path, supporting the residents' natural circadian rhythm and life.

Mexican house designed as a refuge, tall walls, blind from street, plants and minimalist serenity inside

(Image credit: Zaickz)

This balance with nature within the urban environment of the home was an important element in the design development, the architects highlight: 'Casa Refugio embodies a philosophy of living in harmony with the passage of time. It is a dwelling that evolves and adapts to life's moments, whether it's the time of day or the season of the year. This sensitivity also extends to the relationship with the landscape, which is present throughout the home via courtyards, contained gardens, and voids that bring nature closer.

Mexican house designed as a refuge, tall walls, blind from street, plants and minimalist serenity inside

(Image credit: Zaickz)

'The house is designed so that the levels remain connected visually, acoustically, and through daily presence. This allows domestic life to remain present between one space and another, ensuring that the levels do not become separate worlds.'

Mexican house designed as a refuge, tall walls, blind from street, plants and minimalist serenity inside

(Image credit: Zaickz)

tallersegoviamolina.com

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Ellie Stathaki
Ellie Stathaki

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).