Welcome to our gallery highlighting the Mind-Blowing Casa Chinkara Home, a project by Solis Colomer Arquitectos.
This 12,000 square foot home is located in a pristine forested area near Guatemala City, and was designed to explore the contrast between natural and manmade elements. With its juxtaposition of primitive and modern materials over a sprawling floor plan, we’d say that the mission was accomplished.
The home itself appears as a stone embedded in the landscape, following the contours of the ground. Moving inside, you’ll find an art gallery, private study spaces, and a range of experiences evoked by the structure and works of art within.
The open-plan framework was crafted to allow natural light to spill throughout, with several expanses of glazing helping blur the line between interior and exterior spaces. The large stone volume stands at the heart of the structure, with the various rooms orbiting and crossing this space.
You may notice how the bright artificial materials seem to strike through the natural stone, evoking an image of man’s intervention in the landscape itself. This is not accidental.
Instead of appearing as a collection of disparate volumes, the entire home is anchored in its homogenous styling and truly lived-in approach to interior styling. It’s both a work of art and a solidly comfortable living space.
With a combination of hardwood flooring, rough stone, and wide open layout, a constantly shifting palette of engrossing textures parades through the interior.
Excepting the art gallery, every room within the home stands in a discrete volume, opening toward the exterior to integrate the surrounding landscape with the interior. Massive windows, framed in bold red, define these border spaces. From a distance, the windows spike the landscape and invite a closer look.
We hope that you find this home design as wildly engaging as we do.
Photography: Marko Bradich
Framed in the evergreen foliage surrounding the home, the stone and glass structure emerges from the landscape in striking fashion. Even from a distance, the interior can be seen through towering red-framed windows.
Moving up onto the carefully manicured lawn, we take advantage of the clear view of the large square volume at the center of the structure. From here, the various bedrooms and spaces orbit in interconnected fashion.
The side of the home boasts an elegant dark wood multi-tiered deck, gently lowering toward the landscape. Pieces like this connect to the interior via wide expanses of sliding glass panels.
Seen from the front, the home is much more closed off and private, with a large unpolished stone wall dominating the view. Flanked by spreads of glass and red framing, we see a unique circular-cutout adorned entryway.
Within the entryway, we see a stone and hardwood staircase between the exterior privacy wall and the home itself. Subtle lighting is embedded in the framing.
Viewed from within the concealing wall, the driveway sits below the surrounding streets and landscape, aiding the intense privacy of the home.
The driveway curves down toward a space tucked beneath part of the home, a boxy expanse of white construction and glass on both sides.
A direct view reveals this lengthy space as visually open to the environment. It is a cozy living room in perfect communion with the surrounding landscape, while floating above it.
The lengthy, open plan space features a rich hardwood floor in contrast with the cool modern structure, and is filled with a versatile and personalized set of furniture. The plush leather sofa stands beside a tree-slab coffee table, surrounded by plant life and extraordinary views.
The kitchen is an explosion of colors and textures, centered on a lengthy marble-topped island. A large single-slab wood dining table stands in sharp contrast to sleek grey cabinetry and white tile walls, with stainless steel appliances standing over a detailed pattern floor.
Here we witness the vast art gallery, standing two full stories tall beneath a vaulted ceiling and exposed natural wood beams. The spare furniture cedes control to the art pieces themselves, acting as the heart of what makes this home work.
A catwalk hallway spans the length of the gallery, flanked by natural wood railing and a lengthy set of cabinetry topped with family portraits.
The spiraling staircase curves toward the highly detailed floor patterns with rich hardwood construction and blue painted metal. It’s a rare element of curvature in this angular home.
This space is a standout moment within the home, highlighting – literally – the intense interplay between man and nature at the heart of the project.
The ultra-evocative bathroom sports hardwood flooring and a rustic vanity, contrasting with reflective walls and a room-size mirror. An innovative vessel sink sparkles in chrome, with mirror-mounted plumbing above.
The living room at the center of the home is awash in radical colors and high contrast textural elements. Stone walls compete with hardwood flooring, while a dizzying array of furniture types populate the layout.
At night, the interior glows over the surrounding landscape, a burst of color and light amidst the trees.
Subtle but direct use of exterior lighting highlights the sharp structure at night, helping to blur the lines between indoors and out.
Related Homes & Galleries You May Enjoy:
Light-filled Villa Von Stein by Philipp Architekten | Holistic Interior Design By Awork | Delightfully Captivating Glen Iris Home By Canny | Charming Jardine’s Outlook Project by PplusP Architecture
(c) 2015
