San Miguel de Allende - Other hotels in Mexico - Mexico - North America

Casa Etérea: House in San Miguel de Allende

Casa Etérea is a secluded, off-grid house designed with a mirrored facade, on the slopes of the Palo Huérfano volcano.

Perfectly autonomous and in harmony with its environment

Casa Etérea is a house to rent, nestled on the slopes of the extinct volcano Palo Huérfano in the Los Picachos highlands, near the Mexican city of San Miguel de Allende, and surrounded by 10,000 hectares of rugged, unspoiled nature.

Completed in 2020, the perfectly self-contained house and in harmony with its surroundings was designed by Prashant Ashoka, originally a photographer and writer who emigrated from Singapore to Mexico in 2017. The structure was made from local materials. Its foundations are formed from volcanic rocks collected on-site and its walls from bricks that were made locally and finished with micro-cement, before being clad in mirrors. The side of the house that faces the volcano is finished with panoramic glass doors allowing it to be in harmony with nature, while the exterior facade that faces the valley beyond is completely shrouded in mirrored panels. An ultraviolet coating has been installed on the house mirror, to prevent birds from flying into the glass walls. This allows the structure to act as a seamless extension of the environment, reflecting the changing light of the days and seasons. Solar panels and harvested rainwater power the house off the grid.

With an area of 75 sqm, Casa Etérea can accommodate up to two people. The house consists of two rectilinear volumes that meet to form a wide V-shape, including a living room, a fireplace, an open kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom. The whole framing an internal courtyard with a patio and a small swimming pool clad in mosaic tiles. The interior, styled by the local studio Namuh, features an open-plan layout with exposed ceiling beams and natural, tactile finishes of stone, wood, jute, and leather. A copper bathtub sits next to the bed and, like the rest of the bathroom area, is left entirely exposed to the views from the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Casa Etérea is a peaceful and secluded retreat that encourages tranquillity and introspection.