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Simple and compact, this white timber-clad home is perfect for Chile's austere coast
Six meters tall, wide and deep: Kuvo House is a perfectly cuboid white timber-clad holiday home standing on Chile's coast. Designed by the studio Stanaćev Granados, led by Nataša Stanaćev and Manu Granados, Kuvo House is located in Matanzas ‒ an attractive destination for surfers and water-sport fans about 100 or so kilometers from Santiago.
Conceived for full enjoyment of the ocean views, the home is set out on two floors. Its intentionally limited and compact size endows Kuvo House with an abstract and bare feel that is nonetheless dynamic in its play on color, given the site's variations in climate and light: the white of the wooden cladding lights up on sunny days while, by contrast, it slips into invisibility on wintery days as the volume almost disappears into the mist.
Its cubic shape derives from extreme rationalization in layout, where making the most of the available space was a priority. The home has in fact been designed for tourism: the choice of materials and the layout are a consequence of this purpose, with a preference for the most hard-wearing options. The thriftiness of the timber finishing the elevations also allows the home to age naturally.
Despite its limited floor space ‒ a mere 70 m2 ‒ the interiors are capacious and airy. The bottom level is made up of a small kitchen, a bathroom and a day zone with a wood burner, while the upper floor comprises two bedrooms and a further bathroom. The simplicity of the interior finishes accentuates the sense of space in the home, where the settings have been designed to enable the occupants to enjoy maximum flexibility.
Each room features one or more square windows that vary in size and position. The elevations facing south and west are exposed to strong winds and overlook the neighboring buildings, and are therefore more closed in, with smaller windows to ensure greater levels of privacy. Instead, the north- and east-facing outer walls feature larger openings and a sliding glass door, with views out onto the ocean and a low hill rich in vegetation behind the property.
Almost concealed on the ground floor is a staircase that gradually appears as it climbs towards the upper level, with windows on the sides, a generous landing and a light shaft providing a visual and acoustic connection between the floors.
>>> Explore two more homes in Chile: Casa Patio by Mathias Klotz, in Curro, and Casa El Claro by Raúl Herrera Daniel, in Maitencillo
All the exterior doors have been crafted using the same timber cladding slats, so that they blend into the whole, heightening the volume's abstract feel. The lines separating the slats appear as the sole distinctive trait, while the timber has been treated with a semi-opaque stain that allows the wood grain to still show through.
Indoors, concrete flooring has been cast in place at ground level, while the night zone on the floor above features parquet. The walls and ceilings are finished in white painted pine wood and the rooms are topped by exposed beams.
Location: Matanzas, Chile
Completion: 2022
Built area: 72 m2
Client: Private
Architect: Stanaćev Granados (Nataša Stanaćev, Manu Granados)
Landscape: Costa Viva Paisajismo (Javiera Uribe)
Main Contractor: FCF Constructora (José Ignacio Cox)
Photography by Manu Granados, courtesy of Stanaćev Granados
