Architecture Wednesday: Casa Karina

Casa Karina is a luxury home in San Miguel de Allende—one of the places in which I would love to retire—which perfectly blends contemporary design with eye-catching rustic elements. The attention to detail is second to none and the home features both indoor and outdoor living areas which are mindfully designed to complement your mood.

One enters Casa Karina through a commanding 19th-Century River Teak door which was imported from Rajasthan, India And are immediately welcomed by a handmade hammock which sits next to a fireplace. The floors and beams are made from recycled hardwood ‘Trojes’ from the state of Michoacán, which is prominent in the blue tones of the kitchen’s ceiling. All of the doors in the home are made from heavy antique mesquite wood, also from Michoacán.

The living room has a double-height ceiling which fills the floor plan with natural light, some of the light streaming through the glass-bottomed rooftop pool. The chef’s kitchen perfectly blends contemporary functionality—a complete range of Viking appliances—and vintage-chic finishes like raw quartzite countertops and a sink sculpted from a large river stone.

The ground floor hosts one of the spacious bedroom suites, which opens up to the main living room area. This bedroom is furnished with a king-sized bed and has a fireplace while the en-suite bath features a double vanity with sinks upscaled from coffee mortars, quartzite counters, and tan river stone flooring. The room is complete with a bathtub and shower.

The second bedroom is located on the upper level and also features a king- sized bed and fireplace along with a cozy reading nook-window seat which captures sight of the Parroquia. The en-suite bathroom is finished with grey shaved stone flooring, a river stone sink, and a large walk-in shower. Also on this floor are a TV room with a custom L-shaped sofa and an office with a desk and a Balinese day bed.

This stylish home—located at the top of a quiet pedestrian street [Callejon] just below San Miguel’s main lookout point—has another great selling point: a rooftop terrace that captures sweeping panoramic sunset views, including sight of the town’s most famous landmark—the Parroquia de San Miguel—and features a heated glass bottom swimming pool, a black marble firepit with wraparound seating, an outdoor kitchen with a Viking barbecue grill, a half bathroom and laundry room.

You could live up there!

Dwell

Architecture Wednesday: Moderne in Minneapolis

This one of a kind—for Minneapolis because I saw many homes like this in Miami—residence sits on the shores of Cedar Lake. It is also considered to be International Style design because of the alternating effect of ribbons of glass and white stucco on the exterior, the open and light interiors, with amazing views from the back, the curved walls, and translucent glass-block windows.

The first floor features the living room with a double-sided fireplace that opens to a sitting room, a dining area, kitchen and breakfast nook and a family. The second floor has the secondary bedrooms and baths with views to the lake while the entire third  floor is the primary suite including a spacious bedroom, marble bathroom with heated floor and steam shower, sitting room with two-sided fireplace, glass-blocked dressing room, and a private terrace overlooking the lake.

It’s a little South Florida in Minnesota.

 Dwell