small Houses

The third-level bar and kitchenette have four openings with wood coverings that slide away. The space is perfect for “wine and ceviche—for enjoying the sunset,” says Ernesto. The table, designed by Ellen, nests into concrete banquette seating. To connect the bar with the top-level viewing deck, Yektajo inserted a spiral staircase with a compact footprint to preserve the views.

The tower has a sunken ground-floor suite, which allows for a higher ceiling and helps it stay cool, as does the window facing the pool. “The wind passes over it and brings in fresh air,” Yektajo says. “This is how pools are built in the Middle East.”

The tower was limited to nine meters in height (because it’s sunken, it rises to about eight and a half), but the construction style emphasizes its stature. “We did the board-forming top to bottom to give it a sense of verticality,” Yektajo says. “It makes the tower seem way taller.” The concrete’s rough texture and brown pigment complement the adjacent brick building, now a lounge.

Near Mexico’s Pacific Coast, chef Ernesto Kut Gomez transformed a property with two dilapidated buildings into a food-focused retreat. Its pièce de résistance is a tower with guest suites and views of the area. Ernesto’s partner, Ellen Odegaard, collaborated on much of the property’s furniture, including the pool lounges.