Contemporary houses plus views of gardens, pools, doors, furniture and architectural details.

Houses of Mexico delves into the roots of the bold yet elegant Mexican style, illustrated with many photographs from Spain and Portugal reflecting the Moorish influence. In addition to extensive coverage of the architecture of the houses, the book shows other spatial and decorative elements, including iron gates and grilles that give an atmosphere of seclusion; stairways that seem to grow out of the walls without any support; and old paintings, combs, ceramics, and character figures used in festivals, as well as ancient pre-Columbian figurines.

From 1925 to 1929, two young architectural draftsmen set out to record a select number of examples of the “minor domestic architecture” of Mexico due to a lack of measured drawings of rural ranch houses and Monterey-inspired dwellings. The result is a wonderful collection of houses from the days of Mexico's viceroys, elaborately presented in this handsomely illustrated book. Every aficionado of architecture or home design will find the patios, window designs, and floor plans a delight to look at. Over two-hundred illustrations, including forty-two pages of measured drawings and floor plans, make this a comprehensive reference guide as well as an elegant coffee table book.

Detailed close-up of the architecture of Mexican homes, along with interior views.

Invite the rich colors, natural textures, and romantic beauty of Mexico into your home. With a vast architectural legacy spanning four centuries, Mexican haciendas express a rugged romantic beauty and compelling sense of history. Today, the hacienda's graceful arcaded silhouette, grand-scale proportions, carved-stone ornament, rich colors and natural textures have become an ever-increasing influence for architects and designers worldwide. Hacienda Style invites you into Mexico's artful, hacienda havens resplendent with private collections of colonial and contemporary art, antiques and found relics. Witynski and Carr's antiques and accents have appeared in national magazines, television programs and feature films, including Architectural Digest, Western Interiors, HGTV's Takeover My Makeover, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and The Alamo. Other books by the same authors: Mexican Country Style, The New Hacienda, Casa Adobe, Adobe Details, Casa Yucatan, and Mexican Details.