Road Trip: Barragán's Casa Pedregal in Mexico City

Back in 2021, we toured Casa Pedregal in Mexico City.  Casa Pedregal is a private residence located in the Pedregal de San Ángel neighborhood of Mexico City.  It is about a 20 minute car ride from the Roma/Condesa area. It was designed by Mexican modernist architect Luis Barragán and built in the late 1940’s.  We have been lucky enough to tour several Barragán sites, but Casa Pedregal is our favorite so far. 

The home, which is currently inhabited by a family, feels serene - almost holy.  Throughout the house the colors change from soft pinks to sage greens, unlike the shockingly bright colors often seen in his work. Barragán’s signature use of light goes from bright and airy, to dark and moody.

The sprawling home was built on lava fields, and the surrounding gardens are lush with native plant life. We learned that at one point, the owners of the time had completely leveled out the land with soil, to make a large flat lawn area. Now the property has been restored to it’s natural rocky landscape, with changes in elevation.  The gardens feel like a secret hideaway, with hidden lava rock steps and even a little fort-like structure.

Like many of Barragán’s buildings, lava rock stone is used inside and outside of the house.  The lava rock tiles give a temple-like vibe. Cool and stoic, much like Diego Rivera’s Anahuacalli Museum. The layout of the house creates a courtyard, centering around a beautiful (and tempting) pool. In one corner of the pool is a tall pipe extending out over the pool - water runs through the pipe as a double duty water feature and water circulator.

The highlight of the home is the internet-famous pink tiled kitchen.  The kitchen is massive, with custom made wooden kitchen cabinets in typical Barragán style - boxy with square chunk drawer pulls. That kitchen would actually be a dream to cook in! There is also a very functional, moody red pantry that had us fantasizing about a pantry the size of our bedroom. On the lowest level, there is a huge wine cellar with beautiful vaulted ceilings.

A perfect day would be lunch next door at Tetetlán, (see our top 5 favorite restuarants in Mexico City for tips) a restaurant in the converted horse stables on the same property, followed by a tour of Casa Pedregal. Inside of Tetelán is a great little gift shop with local designers, they even sell their own brand of mezcal in beautiful glass blown bottles.  We usually order from the comal section of the menu, which features dishes built around homemade tortillas cooked on a comal.  Tetetlán serves as a cultural center, with yoga classes, art shows and an in house music and book library spanning two floors.