Casa Canela finds a humble fusion of the modern within its colonial Mexican roots

A young Mexican studio, Workshop: Design + Construction, reveals their design for Casa Canela, a colonial two-bedroom residence that combines itself with sober, contemporary details. Located in the historical town of Mérida in Yucatán, Mexico, the white walled 155 sqm residential design has simple accents of pea green that were preserved from the original building, “honouring the quality and historic values of the pre-existing colonial architecture in a pure manner,” shares the Mexican studio.

A winged, copper figurine by Mexican sculptor Jorge Marin greets one at the anteroom, entered via green coloured doors. Surrounded by white stone walls and antique pasta tiles, the sculpture sits on a copper pedestal in the middle of the room, under a simple suspended lamp and the original, green beams.

Doorways here are adorned with old green frames, and an Isabel Garfias painting hangs inside the kitchen where claywood lamps hang over a simple, tzalam wood table with a rustic wooden bench in the centre. The kitchen backsplash is fitted with pasta tiles as well, on which hang utensils and ornaments, sharing space with Fernando Andriacci’s two art pieces. The cabinets here duplicate the green of the original woodwork.

Two glass doors follow into a covered terrace that hosts a dining area and a piece by Mexican artist Pedro Friedeberg. Apart from a rustic timber dining table and black chairs, reproductions of the iconic teak chairs that Swiss architect Pierre Jeanneret made in the 1950s for Chandigarh sit here, amid low lighting. A small pool rests within the garden in the middle, framed by a half-point arch and surrounded by greens and tall walls of rocky texture. 

One of the bedrooms is located downstairs, with headboards fixed with traditional pasta tile and huge sliding windows facing the gardens, another Friedeberg piece by Galeria Urbana hanging over the bed. The bedroom upstairs follows an identical layout, with an additional front terrace. “The stairs seen outdoor takes shape from the traditional staircases of local architecture here,” shares Francisco Bernés, co-founder, Workshop: Design + Construction.

“Casa Canela aims to respect and honour the historic values of colonial architecture of Yucatán, in a pure and sober way, combining with contemporary details and comfort of current lifestyle in order to create a small oasis in the middle of the city,” says Fabián Gutiérrez, co-founder, Workshop: Design + Construction.

Project Details

Name: Casa Canela
Location: Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
Area: 155 sqm
Architect: Workshop: Design + Construction
Design team: Francisco Bernés Aranda and Fabián Gutiérrez Cetina (Founders), Alejandro Bargas Cicero, Isabel Bargas Cicero