Home Tour in San Miguel Allende
The homes here are painted stucco and I’m told the painters mix the pigment on the spot, no chips from the Home Depot. Miraculously, they come back in a year and can match the paint perfectly — it’s an art. My visit here has made me re-consider building to the lot line. In SMA, homes are built to the lot line. You enter the door and walk into a glorious courtyard and garden in the middle of the home. This floorplan was devised centuries ago during the gold and silver rush for security so wagons loaded with commodities could pull in and be locked up for the night behind the front door and gates. I’d LOVE to have my backyard in the middle of my house!
2 Comments to “Home Tour in San Miguel Allende”
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Candy,
My architect friends tell me that “build to the lot line” design evolved to permit town homes to maximize (expensive) square footage while maintaining privacy, security, and easy kitchen access to the produce garden and water well. Century old communities reflect wisdom and practicality in their home designs & (imho) can teach us a great deal about what works.
Here’s a lyrical essay on how another beloved city arrived at similar designs: The Rise of the Walled French Quarter Courtyard http://www.frenchquarter.com/s.....Garden.php
San Miguel Allende is such a beautiful place… we could learn so much from their built environment and general sensibility. Wish I was in Mexico right now!