It was with great pleasure that I finally visited Casa Gilardi in Mexico City this December. It is the last work of Mexican modernist architect Luis Barragán (1902–1988).
Luis Barragán, his work:
Luis Barragán draws inspiration from European modernism and his Bauhaus contemporaries, while deeply rooted in the culture of his own country.
Originally from Guadalajara, he studied civil engineering and architecture there, graduating in 1925.
His work was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1976.
In 1980, he received the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize, becoming the first Mexican architect to earn this distinction.
In Mexico City, he designed numerous residences and housing projects in the Cuauhtémoc district, as well as the Capuchinas Chapel and the Torres de Satélite.
Barragán’s own house and studio, built between 1947 and 1948 in a working-class suburb of Mexico City, stands as a remarkable example of his postwar creative vision, a subtle blend of modern design and traditional Mexican vernacular elements.
After his death, the Mexican government declared the Luis Barragán House-Studio an artistic monument. Since 2004, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Casa Giraldi :
The Casa Gilardi project began in 1975 when two young advertising partners, Pancho Gilardi and Martín Luque, asked Luis Barragán to design their home-agency on a plot located in San Miguel Chapultepec, just steps from Bosque de Chapultepec, the largest park in Mexico City.
Barragán initially declined the commission, only to reconsider shortly after.
Following Pancho Gilardi’s death, Martín Luque moved in with his family and named the house in his friend’s honor. The family still lives there today. In fact, Carlos, his son, was my guide during the visit.
The house was built on a narrow 10 × 36 meter plot, embracing a constraint—or rather an opportunity: a jacaranda tree standing at its center.
It is defined by its spatial flow and its colors: a central patio, an intimate entrance, a corridor that invites calm. Light filters in through yellow-tinted windows, leading to an indoor pool pierced by a pillar painted in an almost fluorescent pink. Casa Gilardi would not be what it is without its colors, the iconic Mexican pink, reminiscent of the vibrant, spontaneous constructions found in the city’s outer neighborhoods.
Depending on the position of the sun, blue tones shift toward mauve and violet. Natural light was essential to Barragán, he would visit the site multiple times a day during construction to fine-tune its effects.
Most of the furniture was also designed by Barragán himself, using simple, affordable materials like pine for sideboards and tables, assembled with straightforward joinery. He even designed the vases displayed on the furniture and the ceramics along the corridor, the work is total.
The whole remains understated, almost austere: no excess, no ornament. The harmony between architecture and design is simply perfect.
For lovers of modernist architecture and design, I highly recommend visiting Casa Gilardi if you find yourself in Mexico City.
https://casagilardi.mx
Thanks to Carlos Luque for the visit and for answering my questions.
