Paint it purple: A bold color makes Casa Pulpo pop
A vacation home owned by a family of five from the United States fills their time away with color.
Casa Pulpo — the Octopus House — was originally built at the beginning of the 20th century in Mérida’s Santa Ana neighborhood. Today, with a strong assist from a daring exterior hue, the home renovated by Workshop, Diseño y Construcción reflects the present day with confidence and style.
The front rooms of the property have original high ceilings with metal beams and wooden joints that still show remnants of paint from the past hundred years.
The creamy interior color palette is subdued, playing off the original pasta tiles. Through the hallway arch, the kitchen is in neutrals. An island, finished in wood and white quartz, and a small breakfast nook were added.
Across a wooden deck surrounded by tropical vegetation is the dining and TV room (above). Glass sliders keep the gardens and pool in view.
The rear house is more modern. The main bedroom on the ground floor has a small, private terrace with a bajareque roof, which projects an extraordinary play of light and shadow on the walls and floors.
Architects: Francisco Bernés Aranda and Fabián Gutiérrez Cetina / Workshop, Diseño y Construcción @workshop_arquitectos
Interior Design: Artesano @artesano_mx
Photos: Tamara Uribe @tamara_uribe
Art: Yesenia Lope @yeslopeo
Lee Steele is the founding director of Mérida-based Roof Cat Media S de RL de CV and has published Yucatán Magazine and other titles since 2012. He was Hearst Connecticut’s Sunday Magazine creative director and worked in New York City for various magazine publishers, including Condé Nast and Primedia, for over 20 years.
