Backyard

exterior/gym/human element

To most eyes, Ezequiel Farca’s 1970s-style concrete home in Mexico City looked like a teardown. Even the lot itself—shallow and crammed against a steep hillside—wasn’t particularly alluring. But Farca saw through all the restraints to create a spa-like refuge in one of the world’s most energetic cities. "It’s is such a hectic place. You’re bombarded by so much information the moment you step into the streets," says Farca, who first gained prominence as a furniture and interior designer. "So we envisioned this house as a retreat, a kind of a temple." The rooftop courtyard is lined with a verdant mix of indigenous plants, including banana trees, palm trees, lion’s claw, Mexican breadfruit, and native vines. The chaise longues were designed for Farca’s EF Collection.

A blackened-timber pergola extends from the modern barn that architect Greg Scott designed for Jody and Deirdre Aufrichtig in the Elgin Valley, an apple- and grape-growing region near Cape Town. Made of narrow slats stabilized with randomly scattered blocks of wood, it covers roughly half of the outdoor deck.

The swanky mid-pool conversation pit was added by new owners during the renovation of a 1970s Brutalist villa in Sardinia, Italy.

Jody’s favorite spot is outside on the deck. “I spend most of my time there. We’ve got two braais, and I braai just about every night,” he says, using the Afrikaans word for barbecue. “It’s not about the food for me,” he adds, “It’s about standing around the fire.” The platform sofas were designed by Scott, the dining table is by James Mudge Furniture Studio, and the Hee lounge and dining chairs are by Hay.

In the living area, Scott chose low-slung furnishings to enhance the feeling of space. The chairs are by Block & Chisel, the coffee table is from Weylandts, and the sofas are by the architect.

He devised the pergola to break up the mass of the house and integrate it into the site.

The triangular guesthouse mirrors the main house, and is separated by an expansive outdoor space with a fire pit.

The cedar-lined terrace has a fire pit which provides excellent additional space for outdoor entertaining.

The house was fully assembled in just 32 working days. “It was a wonderful, emotional thing to be able to put ourselves in the shoes of our clients,” describes Meelena.

The Antonio Citterio-designed Vulcano Sofa is among the new designs created specifically for the Outdoor Collection. The highly customizable seating system can be configured as a sofa or sectional (or even a daybed, armchair or chaise lounge) and can be grouped in countless combinations. The extruded polyurethane cord distinctively wraps the armrest, and is resistant to contact with water, salt, and chlorine.

Large sliding glass doors enable seamless indoor/outdoor living. The fluid, open floor plan provides plenty of room for entertaining, play, and gathering.

Flexform’s Outdoor Collection innovates without straying from core company values built and refined over decades of design and operation. “Our outdoor products...mirror a sort of distillation of elegance, comfort, and inconspicuous luxury,” says the Flexform Design Center, echoing values firmly ingrained in their indoor design philosophy.

Eames chairs surround the live-edge dining table on a terrace.

The floors are white marble and travertine.