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The second-floor space is reached via an external set of brick-and-concrete steps.

The alternating glass-and-brickwork design was key to getting the lighting just right. “It allows light always to enter without being too harsh or direct,” says Jimena. The space is warmed with scattered rugs and wooden furniture, including a rocking chair that belonged to the artist’s great-grandparents.

Jimena selects which of her pieces will stay on display and which will be archived in her double-height studio.

An open-layout ground floor holds a living area, a sleeping area, and a kitchenette.

Artist Jimena García Álvarez-Buylla stands outside the pleated brick facade of her home and studio on the outskirts of Mexico City. The triangular building, designed by Estudio MMX, is set amid greenery on the same plot of land where Jimena grew up and her mother still lives. An open-layout ground floor holds a living area, a sleeping area, and a kitchenette.

"The forest outside our windows brings us joy from the moment we wake up in the morning," says Jonah, "while we watch the hawks and birds and drink our coffee to the period of dusk when the deer pass through on their evening foraging and the fox come out of hiding."

The bedroom ceilings are lined in wisa spruce. “We chose it because we like its grain and could leave it unfinished,” says Farah. “We wanted a calm and natural feeling, but not all wood, so we combined the wood with clean concrete flooring and white stucco walls.”

A Murphy bed concealed in a first-floor wall provides an extra sleeping space.

“The morning light is amazing. From our kitchen window we can see the sun rising over the poplars along the Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal,” says architect and resident Farah Agarwal.

Inside, the living areas flow around a green box that contains the kitchen and a full bath.

By making their new home in a suburb of Amsterdam much smaller than the maximum allowed, architects Arjen Aarnoudse and Farah Agarwal managed their energy needs while increasing their outdoor space.

Floor plan of Garden Pavilion by Byro Architects