On a narrow thread-the-needle dirt road outside the Mexican fishing village of San Pancho, a Los Angeles couple built a Pacific Ocean oasis where they retreat to recharge and to entertain family and friends. The place is paradise, an international haven where artists, musicians, and chefs live a simple and luxurious life as one with nature.
The 14,000-square-foot exposed-concrete house, an ode to the angles of geometry, is a standout contemporary interpretation of Mexican Brutalism designed by architect Raul Velazquez, the founder of RVO Studio, which is based Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. Velazquez, whose work is inspired by the buildings of Le Corbusier, sees “a powerful link” between the iconic architect and the local Mexican techniques, specifically the use of raw concrete.
“The house is one of a kind,” he says, adding that he’s been working in the style during the course of his 20-year career. “There is nothing like this around: It has a unique character, perhaps the most unique of all those in our portfolio.”
The couple, who love to entertain, envisioned a six-bedroom go-to with several areas for gatherings. They requested a main kitchen, a butler’s kitchen for use by a private chef during parties, a small kitchen where guests can cook, and an upstairs coffee station and refreshment bar. They also wanted three covered terraces that could be used at different times of the day as well as a media room, a gym, a three-car garage, and a casita with a garden.
The house is a sculptural work of art where nature and architecture coexist seamlessly. Centered around a central patio and surrounded by the ocean, it faces 2,600 feet of beachfront in a setting landscaped with local plants that spring up spontaneously.
“There is a natural path for rainwater coming from the mountains and heading to the ocean on this land,” Velazquez says. “We needed to design around this path to allow the rainwater to flow along the structure without obstructing its course.
The clients put a priority on privacy, and achieving a high level of seclusion was tricky given that the property faces a public beach and neighboring houses that open to the landscape.
“We wanted the house to look at the ocean but at the same time feel warm, familiar, and private,” Velazquez says.
Large, wood-slotted trellis-like screen partitions, strategically sited, along with architectural elements ensure seclusion while allowing light, ventilation, and good sight lines to the water views.
Although the cubist house is in the Brutalist style, which when it was in vogue in the 1960s and 1970s worshipped the rigidity of angular forms, Velazquez’s interpretation rounds out the edges with courtyards and wood elements that represent Mexico’s crafts soul.
“We were inspired by the local and tribal constructions, which, through the wisdom of countless generations, stand as resilient testaments to human ingenuity, seamlessly blending with nature to defy the relentless heat, torrential rains, and formidable forces of the jungle and ocean,” Velazquez says.
The wooden screens are untreated, allowing them to gracefully weather to gray, and the central staircase was painted in a blue tone that was inspired by the ocean. Large, sand-blasted marble tiles cover the floor, a timeless selection that can tolerate the weather, humidity, and the salty air. Velazquez used sheets of marble to clad the shower walls, in this instance polished, to reduce the color palette so the geometry could take center stage.
The furnishings are as casual, chic, and comfortable as designer sneakers. From the basket-like pendants hanging over the dining table and in the hallways to the walls of doors that open everything to the natural world, the house is an elegant oasis, a private resort where relaxation rules.
The homeowners say Velazquez’s design is a wonderful interpretation of their wishes: “We love the openness of the living room when all the sliders are open, the different locations where people can gather, and the privacy that can happen from one place to another.”
Velazquez counters with a compliment of his own. “The clients’ openness to ideas and creativity, along with their willingness to push the boundaries of how we experience space, truly inspired us.”