MAPA Architects revitalizes an old ranch house in rural Uruguay—more than 5,300 miles away from the clients’ primary home.
The kitchen cabinets are custom-made from 100-year-old wood purchased at Sliverado Salvage. There’s a breakfast nook and a nine-foot island finished in Tadelakt, a waterproof plaster often used in Moroccan architecture, creating a communal and open space that flows into the living room. "Tadelakt is such a beautiful material and provides an old-world, earthy feeling, but using it is very labor-intensive," says Elaine.
The guest bedroom is heavenly thanks to a custom, low platform bed, custom linen curtains, Watt & Veke pendant lights, and side tables from Wisteria.
The master bedroom features a custom-made platform bed and curtains, a sconce with a rattan shade from Tine K Home, a vintage Turkish kilim rug, and Sika Design side tables.
Husband-and-wife team Elaine and Stanley Yang of real estate and development firm Mini Inno discovered this 2,000-square-foot ranch home, and set about transforming it into an idyllic weekend retreat. Built in 1966, the home sits on 3.6 acres and, while the bones were good, it was a bit outdated in terms of style. The revitalized, Moroccan-inspired retreat is a sanctuary worthy of its soothing surroundings.
Sliding doors lead into the office/pool house, perfect for a guest room or focusing on work next to the water.
The Lofthouse is built one of the many hills separating it from the couple’s main residence. "Excavation was a challenge, as we wanted to maintain as much of the existing landscape as possible, but needed to clear out trees for the foundation," says Tarah.
A series of narrow, vertical window openings punctuate the thick-walled facade of the structure, which is optimized for passive solar gains (left). A consistent application of surface materials throughout the interior and courtyard bridge the connection between indoors and out (right).