Casa Mexicana style / photographs by Tim Street-Porter ; text by Annie Kelly ; [foreword by Manolo Mestre]

Includes index

Foreword : Mexico, a state of mind -- Introduction : El arte de vida -- Mexico City and the Valle de Bravo -- San Miguel de Allende -- The hacienda -- Houses by the sea.

In 1521, when the Spanish arrived in Mexico, they were amazed at the spectacular architecture and complex urban planning they encountered in the great city of Tenochtitlán (modern-day Mexico City). To the native Mayan, Aztec, and Olmec traditions that had flourished throughout Mexico, the Spanish brought their own influences, resulting in an extraordinarily rich design heritage that survives to this day. Architectural photographer Tim Street-Porter vividly captures this enduring passion for design in Casa Mexicana Style, the follow-up to his best-selling Casa Mexicana. In this book featuring more than 250 photographs, Street-Porter takes us on an insider's tour of 30 stunning homes, from urbane city apartments and modernist beach houses to stately rural haciendas and lovingly restored colonial townhouses. All of the residences showcased here are enlivened by a natural blending of indoors and outdoors, a vibrant palette shaped by the sun-drenched surroundings, and an artful incorporation of the country's celebrated crafts and handiwork. Whether large or small, historical or contemporary, Mexican houses are artistic statements, expressing the unique and inimitable lifestyle of their creators. Casa Mexicana Style is a welcoming invitation to bask in the beauty of these homes, to enjoy their charm and sophistication.

English