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Photography: Casa Tenue

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In Mexico City, all roads eventually end up in Roma Norte, the city’s design nexus. Orbiting around Plaza Rio de Janeiro are museums, studios and boutiques dedicated to design. And a block away, on Durango 75, is Casa Tenue, a guest house that showcases the palette, look and natural materials favoured by the neighbourhood’s creatives.

Starting from the bones of a historic house on a quiet, leafy street, architects from local practice Vertebral collaborated on the interior with interior architects from Habitacion 116. Together, they dug down for added height and opened up the rear of the house to a thick tropical garden. Concrete, stone, naked terracotta plaster and light, unvarnished wood make up the new envelope of the house — a worthy backdrop for simple, locally crafted furnishings in wood and natural fabrics.

Matt black accessories introduce a contemporary element to the spaces, starting with common rooms on the ground floor and rising to six bedrooms and two suites with private gardens and copper soaker tubs.

Each room has clever built-in furnishings, like deep window seats and long, low bedside tables. And they all exhibit original canvases curated by Ñú, a Mexico City gallery specialising in art from marginalised groups.

Visitors can book via the website.

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