An Unfinished finish

A Catalan-American family’s vacation home pays homage to its 200-year history and the rugged charm of brick, cinderblocks, and OSB.

Aranza García serves as the creative director of Chuch Estudio.

Because the wall between the kitchen and living room was supporting and couldn't be removed, a sliding, transparent door replaced a double-door set-up to create a feeling of spacial flow.

García's 19th-century home in Mexico is a joyful space that embraces the patina and heritage of the building and is

A stainless steel, wall-mounted sink appears to float, as does the steel shelf below, and the pipes are hidden in the wall.

The kitchen is composed of stainless steel, from the cabinetry fabricated by Barcelona company Timblau, to the counters and backsplash, the latter given a mirror polish for contrast to the former’s patina on the surfaces. The boxes were brought in on a crane and then the group put them together in place. “The kitchen shouldn't be a closed dirty area of the house,” says Jon. “But [rather] the heart.” Fitting, as social life in the Basque culture revolves around eating together.

The cabinets and floating shelf are raw steel, and the handmade table is lime plaster, joined with Zara Home stools.

An arched doorway between one of the bedrooms and a bathroom lends a soft, modern quality.

The original wood columns and beams create a more open feel and flood the spaces with natural light. "The kitchen looks out over the courtyard, which acts as a light well and provides ventilation,