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A young couple in Mexico City asked architect Andrés Gutiérrez to make their inherited 1962 home feel fresher and more personal while respecting its modernist architecture. The renovation retained original features, including floors and woodwork, restored the living-room library and introduced colorful interiors, Mexican-made furniture and art by Mexican creatives.
Architect Andrés Gutiérrez has refreshed a 1962 modernist house in Mexico City, keeping its original architectural character while giving the interiors a more colorful and personal feel. The work for a young couple in San Ángel included restoring a living-room library and adding Mexican-made furniture and art by Mexican creatives.
The house was designed by mid-century architect Jaime Ortiz Monasterio. Its new owners valued the building but felt its interiors seemed too serious, according to Livingetc’s report. They hired Gutiérrez, founder of A-G estudio, to bring a younger, more contemporary mood without erasing the home’s architectural identity.
The renovation kept much of the existing structure and focused on preserving the floors and extensive woodwork. Gutiérrez said some timber was replaced and window frames and glass were renewed. The team also restored features that had been lost, including the living-room bookshelves, which had been removed by earlier owners.
Color and sculptural forms distinguish the new interiors: the report describes lilac rugs and sofas, duck-egg-colored walls and pea-green upholstered chairs. Furniture throughout the home was made in Mexico, including pieces by established and contemporary designers; some furnishings and finishes were customized, and Gutiérrez designed several items. The artwork is also by Mexican creatives.
A Modernist Home, Reworked
The project shows how a renovation can alter the character of a home without treating its architectural history as something to remove. Rather than rebuild the 1962 house around a new style, Gutiérrez retained important original materials and brought back the library concept, then used color, furniture and art to make the rooms feel distinct from the restrained image the owners wanted to move beyond.
Its Mexican-made furnishings and locally created art also make the owners’ request for a distinctly Mexican identity part of the design itself. Gutiérrez said they wanted to avoid folkloric clichés; the result, as described in the report, brings together different periods and practices in Mexican design rather than recreating one historical style. That approach connects the home’s contemporary interiors to its setting and to the architect’s interest in national identity.
Restoring the Library Concept
San Ángel is an affluent Mexico City neighborhood known for colonial architecture as well as modernist landmarks, including the house-studio of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, according to Livingetc. The renovated home belongs to that broader architectural landscape, but its design history is specific: Ortiz Monasterio created it in 1962 with a library-like quality that Gutiérrez said had largely disappeared before his work began.
Gutiérrez told Livingetc that restoring the original library became a guiding idea. The team brought back the living-room shelves and preserved other elements where possible, while introducing contemporary furnishings and a more assertive palette. The article does not give a construction timeline or a budget, so the scale and cost of the work cannot be compared with other renovations.
“They wanted to take away some of its seriousness and make it feel younger, fresher, and more reflective of who they are.”
— Andrés Gutiérrez, architect, speaking to Livingetc
Project Details Not Reported
Livingetc’s report does not specify when the renovation was completed, how long the work took or what it cost. It also does not provide technical details about the timber replacement, window work or other interventions, making it difficult to assess their extent. The owners are described as a young couple, but the report does not name them or include their direct comments. The design choices and renovation account are presented primarily through Gutiérrez’s statements and the publication’s description.
No Further Work Announced
The report describes the completed renovation and does not announce another phase, a future opening or a follow-up milestone. No next steps for the property have been made public in the material provided. The confirmed account remains the design team’s stated balance: preserve the house’s defining features, restore its library character and give the interiors a fresher identity through color, furnishings and art.
Key Questions
Where is the renovated house?
It is in San Ángel, Mexico City, a neighborhood with colonial buildings and notable modernist architecture.
Who designed the original home?
The 1962 house was designed by mid-century architect Jaime Ortiz Monasterio.
What did the renovation preserve?
Architect Andrés Gutiérrez said the team retained as much of the original character as possible, particularly the floors and extensive woodwork. Some timber was replaced, and window frames and glass were renewed.
What was restored inside the house?
The team restored the living-room library, including the bookshelves removed by previous owners. Gutiérrez said the house had originally been conceived almost as a library to live in.
How did the design bring in Mexican influences?
The furniture was made in Mexico and the artwork is by Mexican creatives. Gutiérrez said the aim was to bring different periods of Mexican design and visual culture together without recreating a single period or relying on folkloric clichés.
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