Kaleidoscope House

The challenge was, how to create a home that was comfortable, functional and out of the ordinary, on a lot with dimensions of only 4 x 6 meters. This was the main challenge faced by Taller Estilo architects when designing the Kaleidos house. The fact that the proportion of the site was long and narrow, it also need to create a highly functional 3 bedroom home.
Taller Estilo took advantage of the dimensions to create a sensory experience throughout the entire length of the plot. The idea was to go discovering space by space through a winding path that takes us by the hand and that, instead of taking the shortest way to join two points, make us discover the house little by little, transitioning with materials, scale, lighting between interior and exterior.
Located in Centro, Mexico the original house dates from the 70s and was in good condition, so it was decided to incorporate it. Given that the materials of the project was a determining factor for the final design, the architects decided to define the two time periods through their materials.
The old part retains its traditional character with two delimited spaces. The walls and ceilings are finished in stucco with paint, and the floors are made of paste, a characteristic material from the region.
The new structure becomes a monolithic interior box with only a semicircular perforation, strategically placed to introduce natural lighting and ventilation. Walls and ceilings are made of polished grey concrete as well as the floor of the low silver where the same polished finish is preserved, while in the upper floor the concrete is hammered creating a texture that gives a warmer feeling to the space.
Inside the house there are no enclosures, private spaces are delimited with reflective glass walls in such a way that they can be seen from the inside to the outside, and from the outside they appear as reflections.  As in a kaleidoscope, a series of mirrors were located inside a tube to create an optical illusion, these walls help create an infinite set of reflections that vary throughout the day thanks to the light provided by the semicircular perforation located in the interior garden and the sculptural staircase to access the private area. The architectural solution of Kaleidos house results in a unique, contemporary home, full of surprises and spatial sensations that make daily life a pleasure.