a vacation home on a vineyard
Casa San Francisco by Jorge Garibay Architects stands within a vineyard on the outskirts of San Miguel de Allende, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. Conceived as a vacation home, the project draws its character from the world of winemaking and the slow transformations that occur over time.
The design reflects on San Miguel’s origins — founded in the 16th century when Franciscan friars introduced grape cultivation to Mexico — and acknowledges how imported traditions were adapted to a new environment.
Architecture and viticulture, both brought across the Atlantic, evolved differently once exposed to the local soil, light, and climate. Casa San Francisco continues that dialogue by translating the contemplative spatial order of conventual architecture into a contemporary domestic setting.
images © César Belio
Jorge Garibay’s architecture of five volumes
The team at Jorge Garibay Architects organizes its Casa San Francisco around a central corridor that runs laterally through five distinct volumes. Each volume opens onto a landscaped area, allowing uninterrupted views of the surrounding vineyard and hills. Entry occurs through a double-height vestibule that filters the transition from exterior to interior, emphasizing the progression from the openness of the landscape to the intimacy of the home.
The western side houses the communal spaces — the living room, dining room, kitchen, terrace, garage, and service areas — while the eastern wing is reserved for four bedrooms. This clear separation of uses gives the plan a sense of measured rhythm, echoing the linear geometry of vineyard rows. Movement through the corridor reveals a series of framed perspectives, each calibrated to the shifting daylight and seasonal growth beyond.
Casa San Francisco sits among vineyards near San Miguel de Allende
inside the monochromatic casa san francisco
Jorge Garibay approached materiality as a means to express the passage of time and the endurance of local craft. The construction employs stone sourced from a nearby quarry, unpolished Mexican marble underfoot, and lime-based paint applied by hand to achieve subtle tonal variations. Together, these materials form monochromatic surfaces that anchor the building to its terrain and emphasize the play of light across textured planes.
The simplicity of the palette underscores a disciplined restraint. Oak furniture complements the architecture’s tactile honesty, and the lighting design references the soft glow found in 16th-century convents. Rather than reproducing historic effects, the lighting recreates the warmth and quietude of those spaces within a modern framework.
Jorge Garibay Architects designed the house as a meditation on time
the project connects architecture to the slow rhythm of winemaking
five stone volumes are linked by a corridor aligned with the landscape
public and private spaces are arranged to frame views of the vineyard
local stone and hand-applied lime finish give depth to the walls
oak furniture and warm lighting create a calm interior balance
project info:
project title: Casa San Francisco
architect: Jorge Garibay Architects | @arqjorgegaribay
location: San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico
photography: © César Belio | @cesarbelio
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