ZDA Reorients a 1937 residence for contemporary living
Designed by ZDA – Yuri Zagorin Alazraki, Casa Kiki is the renovation of a California-style residence originally built in 1937 in Lomas de Chapultepec, Mexico City. Rather than treating the house as a preserved historical object or replacing it entirely, the project reconfigures the existing structure through a contemporary spatial strategy that responds to climate, landscape, and changing patterns of domestic life. The intervention retains the original architectural character while reorganizing the program around natural light, thermal comfort, and stronger connections between interior and exterior spaces.
Originally conceived as a speculative residential development during Mexico City’s post-revolutionary expansion, the house followed a standardized domestic layout that prioritized city views over solar orientation. Its northeast-facing main spaces resulted in cold interiors with limited daylight, while numerous doors and compartmentalized rooms created fragmented circulation and inflexible living areas. The renovation draws on the experiences of the previous owners, who occupied the house for more than five decades. Their observations regarding light, temperature, and daily use informed a complete reorganization of the program. Social spaces were relocated to benefit from southern and western sunlight, while bedrooms and private areas were repositioned to improve thermal comfort and establish closer relationships with gardens and patios. The resulting layout creates a more continuous sequence of spaces and a clearer relationship between the different functions of the house, where bright pink interiors provide a distinct visual identity.
The intervention also begins at the urban scale. The existing perimeter wall was preserved, while a new pedestrian entrance introduces an exposed concrete frame containing a pivoting black steel door. Vegetation softens the boundary, and timber cladding creates a semi-permeable facade that balances privacy with selective views toward the restored house.
all images by Rafael Gamo, Ana Paula Álvarez, Jaime Navarro
A pink spiral staircase redefines Casa Kiki’s central volume
At the center of the house, the original turret becomes the project’s defining architectural element. Once altered during a 1970 renovation that removed its double-height volume, the space has been restored to its original proportions and transformed into a vestibule, library, and circulation hub. A pink-painted steel spiral staircase wraps around integrated shelving, organizing movement between floors while establishing a distinct architectural identity within the otherwise restrained material palette. Above, a glazed skylight introduces daylight into the double-height volume, while a myrtle tree rises through a circular opening in the floor, bringing vegetation into the center of the house and reinforcing the relationship between architecture and landscape. The turret connects directly to the adjacent study through an arched opening, creating uninterrupted visual continuity. Designed as a flexible workspace, the room combines reclaimed timber, black steel shelving, wood-clad walls, and mirrored detailing that expands light throughout the interior.
Throughout the project, developed by Studio ZDA – Yuri Zagorin Alazraki, patios and gardens are treated as extensions of the interior rather than residual outdoor spaces. Stone paths, mature trees, and planted courtyards establish a sequence of outdoor rooms that accompany movement through the house and provide natural ventilation and changing daylight conditions. The kitchen occupies the former living room, becoming the primary social space of the home. A central island organizes circulation, while concealed cabinetry, oak shelving, and a suspended polished-steel hood define the room through integrated architectural elements rather than decorative features. The living room, added as an extension of the original L-shaped plan, opens toward both the southwest garden and a smaller entrance courtyard. Large openings dissolve the boundary between inside and outside, allowing vegetation to become part of everyday domestic life. Interior furnishings combine contemporary pieces with custom-designed furniture and works by Mexican designers and artists, reinforcing the dialogue between architecture, art, and daily use.
Material continuity and environmental performance
Material selections emphasize durability and tactile consistency. Oak joinery, engineered timber flooring, natural stone, and restrained finishes establish continuity across the renovated interiors, while marble defines the primary bathroom. Upstairs, terraces extend each bedroom into the surrounding landscape, including a private outdoor bathing area integrated within planting. Environmental performance was incorporated throughout the renovation without altering the house’s character. The project integrates rainwater harvesting and treatment systems, solar panels, hydronic radiant floor heating, cross ventilation, improved thermal insulation, high-performance glazing, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Existing brick walls were retained to provide thermal mass, while recycled timber was reused throughout the exterior spaces. Rather than replacing the existing house, Casa Kiki demonstrates how careful spatial reconfiguration, environmental upgrades, and the reuse of original architectural elements can extend the life of a historic residence while adapting it to contemporary domestic living.
