The Owners Loved Their Home's 1960S Architecture, But It Felt Too Serious — Look What They Did Instead
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Architect Andrés Gutiérrez and A-G estudio renovated a 1962 modernist home in Mexico City’s San Ángel neighborhood for a young couple who wanted a more playful interior without losing the building’s character. The project restored the home’s library concept and retained much of its original flooring and woodwork, while adding colorful finishes, Mexican-made furniture and art by Mexican creatives.

Architect Andrés Gutiérrez renovated a 1962 modernist home in Mexico City’s San Ángel neighborhood for a young couple who wanted a fresher, more playful interior while respecting its original architecture. The project, reported by Livingetc, pairs vivid colors and Mexican-made furnishings with restored features, including the home’s living-room library.

The house was designed by mid-century architect Jaime Ortiz Monasterio. Its new owners loved the structure but felt its interiors had become too serious. Gutiérrez, whose studio is A-G estudio, led both the renovation and the interior design, aiming to make the home feel contemporary and personal without turning its Mexican identity into a set of folkloric references.

The interiors use a palette that includes lilac sofas and rugs, duck-egg-colored walls and pea-green upholstered chairs. Furniture throughout the house was manufactured in Mexico, and the artwork is by Mexican creatives. Some pieces were customized in color or finish; Gutiérrez also designed items such as cabinets, credenzas and outdoor dining chairs.

The renovation retained much of the original flooring and extensive woodwork, according to the report. Work included replacing some timber and renewing window frames and glass. Gutiérrez said the team also restored what it could of the original library concept, after built-in bookshelves in the living room had been removed by a previous owner.

At a glance
reportWhen: Featured in a Livingetc report; the sou…
The developmentA Livingetc report details how architect Andrés Gutiérrez updated a 1962 Mexico City home with a colorful, contemporary interior while preserving its modernist character.

A Colorful Interior, Preserved Structure

The project shows how a home can be updated without treating its architectural heritage as an obstacle to a new owner’s taste. Rather than replacing the 1960s design wholesale, Gutiérrez’s approach used furniture, art and color to change how the rooms feel while retaining defining parts of the building.

That balance matters in a home with a distinct architectural history: the renovation sought to recover an element of the original design—the library—while giving the couple a more personal interior. Its use of Mexican-made furniture and Mexican artists’ work also makes local creative production part of the project’s identity, rather than relying only on visual references to the country’s past.

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The Home’s 1962 Design Legacy

The home stands in San Ángel, a Mexico City neighborhood known for colonial architecture as well as modernist buildings. The area includes the house-studio associated with artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, as noted in Livingetc’s report. Ortiz Monasterio designed this residence in 1962.

Gutiérrez said the original house had been conceived almost as a “library to live in.” By the time he first saw it, he said, little of that idea remained. Restoring the library became a starting point for the renovation, alongside retaining original floors and woodwork wherever possible.

Gutiérrez founded his studio sixteen years before the report, according to the article. He described research into Mexican culture and identity as part of his design process, and said the project brought together different periods of Mexican design and visual culture rather than attempting to recreate one specific era.

“They wanted to take away some of its seriousness and make it feel younger, fresher, and more reflective of who they are.”

— Andrés Gutiérrez, architect and founder of A-G estudio

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Renovation Details Not Reported

Livingetc’s report does not specify when the renovation took place, how long it lasted or what it cost. It also does not provide technical details about the materials used for replacement timber, window work or other updates.

The article describes the design choices and identifies features that were retained or restored, but it does not set out a full construction scope or explain whether any structural changes were made. The extent of the house’s original fabric that remains beyond the flooring and woodwork mentioned in the report is also unclear.

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No Further Project Milestone Listed

The source presents the home as a completed renovation and does not identify a scheduled next phase, additional work or a follow-up announcement. Readers seeking more detail on the project can refer to Livingetc’s original feature, which includes photographs credited to Leandro Bulzzano and design attribution to A-G estudio.

Any assessment of the renovation beyond the reported design decisions would require further information from the owners or architect, including the project timeline, construction scope and how the home is being used now.

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Key Questions

Who designed the Mexico City home?

The home was designed in 1962 by architect Jaime Ortiz Monasterio. Andrés Gutiérrez of A-G estudio led its later renovation and interior design.

What did the owners want to change?

The couple wanted a more playful, contemporary and colorful interior that felt more like them, while still respecting the original architecture.

Which original features were retained or restored?

The report says the renovation retained much of the home’s flooring and woodwork, replaced some timber and renewed window frames and glass. The team also restored what it could of the original living-room library concept.

How did the project express a Mexican identity?

According to the report, all the home’s furniture was made in Mexico, and its artwork is by Mexican creatives. The architect said the aim was to bring different moments in Mexican design and visual culture together rather than recreate one period.

Source: rss

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