Enrique Olvera loves old houses. He finds that it’s hard to add texture to spaces that are new, and to give them a sense of home. “Instead, when you arrive at an aged place you can feel its time, not only in the material’s patina, but also in the lived energy”, reflects the Mexican chef. This is what happened to him in the 1940’s house located in the lowest part of Lomas de Chapultepec neighbourhood, in Mexico City. The first time he walked in, it was led by a hotel group that was considering opening a restaurant there. The project didn’t come through; however, when Olvera split from his wife and needed a welcoming place of his own, with the right scale to be able to hang out with his three children and his dog, he remembered the house.
To the owner of Pujol —the restaurant that opened in 2000 to change the Mexican gastronomic scene and join the lists of the best in the world—, conscience of his surroundings is inevitable: “I like to convey a sense of wellness. I think it’s an intention that can be achieved through food and space”.
On the outside, the residence evokes the Spanish Californian style; on the inside, it feels like one of those old Guadalajara homes. The interiors work was undertaken with the help of architect Rafael Rivera, co director of Habitación 116. It was more of a recovery project than a design one. The room’s distribution was kept as it was; the kitchen was expanded, and certain details were adjusted, like rounding the corners to add fluidity and softness to the passage, and opening windows to gently let the air in. Architect José Antonio Madrid, who oversaw the first renovation of Pujol, carried out the work.
