A Valle de Bravo house in conversation with its past

Casa Ani is a weekend house in Valle de Bravo that starts with something already there: a gabled structure that had long stood on the site. Chain + Siman used that as the cue for a two-part composition, joining a stone-and-timber house to a newer three-gabled volume in black standing-seam metal. The studio described it to Dezeen as a dialogue between old and new, and that balance seems to run through the whole project, from heavy stone walls to lighter steel-framed glazing.

The social spaces sit in the contemporary wing, where three A-frame roofs rise above floor-to-ceiling glass. The largest volume contains the living room, centred on a black-steel fireplace and opening towards outdoor seating and a pool. Set at right angles to it, the older-looking stone building holds the bedrooms behind a more closed street facade, broken by one large window that frames a double-height interior and a steel staircase. Inside, there is also a family room with a built-in lounging platform, while upstairs three suites open onto porches running the length of the building.

Outside, Pedro Sánchez Paisajismo shaped the grounds with olive trees, flowering plants and an orchard that merges into the surrounding forest. The house also uses solar panels and battery storage integrated into the south-facing roofs. It is a private home rather than somewhere to book, but it is worth reading as a clear example of how a new addition can take its lead from what a site already remembers.

Our summary of a story from Dezeen, published 1 October 2026. Read the original

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