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A skylight brings plenty of natural light into the living room.

aesarstone counters in the kitchen, which best highlights the homes mix of light and wood. White conversion varnish was used on the sink side of the island for durability, with wood on the side of entertainment.

“Zarzales is a vacation home located in Valle de Bravo, whose architecture, simple and pure, gives the prominence it deserves tothe surrounding nature,” says the firm.

The Monocular -Entrance Front View

The Monocular - Entrance

Main floor bar adjacent to kitchen

View from main patio into the dining and living area.

Working within the height and size perimeters of the historic district was a fun part of the design challenge for the DeBoers. An emphasis on indoor/outdoor living was key in making the home feel more spacious than its allowable 2924 square feet. By continuing indoor materials into their adjacent outdoor spaces, the homeowners were able to amplify their livable space. Their goal was not to create a massive house, but rather to build a comfortable home that fit within the community and given perimeters.

Kalamazoo BBQ and kitchenette

“The structures create spaces that bridge the outside and inside, so it’s one continuous space,” Thomas says. Terraces act as a path that border the getaway and connect it to the garden lounge and studio. He added the round deck when his architecture partner told him he felt like the scheme needed a circle.

A bed in the studio provides a place for guests to sleep. The plywood floor is painted white.

The studio’s dramatic ceiling is nearly 14-feet high. Thomas says that the yoga deck sits in the landscape “like a wooden lake.”

The board-formed concrete retaining wall holds firewood and is also a bench. Beyond, the garden lounge backs up against the studio and a retaining wall. “It’s a study in how little you can do to define a space,” Thomas says.

Thomas likens the humble, black wood structures (there are two, but he hopes to add a third) to the forts or treehouses one builds as a kid. “Having a cluster of little houses brings down the scale,” he notes. “They are suitable for one or two; not overwhelming, but intimate.”