Mexico has a rich architectural history that has helped its culture to thrive well into the 21st century. You may not immediately be able to recognize a Mexican-style home from the outside, but when you really look out for them, you’ll notice just how much of an impact the style has had on modern architecture. There are a number of distinct styles of Mexican home, many of which you may still see dotted around the United States, or maybe even further afield.
Mexican architectural styles include Spanish Villas, which are large developments that are built around fostering a community. Haciendas, which are also larger homes that have wide courtyards that make for amazing social spaces for parties and other celebrations. Solo Adobe homes, which are perhaps the most visually distinct, thanks to their ancient-looking and earthly style. And there are also Mission-style homes, which were originally developed to house clergy, or to act as cathedrals!
There are so many amazing Mexican-style homes out there just waiting for you to see them, so why don’t we take a look at 20 of the best right now?
1. Homewood – Alabama
This mission-style home, with its white color scheme, looks remarkably modern and up to date, despite its long history and heritage. This building is believed to have been erected around the early 1920s. This type of home became very popular amongst the Hollywood elites, which made it extremely desirable to have such homes built elsewhere across the United States.
This mission-style home has a classic look, with a central turret-style structure towards the center, which is surrounded towards the top by a series of windows. These windows will let in a great amount of sunlight which can pour down into the home, and bathe it in a warm and heavenly glow.
No doubt this would be an amazing place to call home. Every day it would feel like you have woken up in the lap of luxury.
2. Alameda – California
This tiny mission home is simply adorable to look at! Its small size means that it sits comfortably within its green surroundings, dwarfed by the impressive trees behind it. The blue sky in this photo really makes this small home shine, and you can probably see the slight yellow hue that the home has. Its white paint blends perfectly with its surroundings during the cold weather, and then during the summer months, it glows with a lively yellow!
The yellow paint is also complemented by the red and brown roof tiles, which create an autumnal feel that further makes the home look warm, snug, and just oozing with character.
3. Pink Revival
You don’t often see pink exteriors these days! This is an incredibly awesome home in the mission style that just can’t help but catch your attention! The light pink walls create a vibrant and unique profile for the home, and you could imagine walking past it and not being able to take your eyes off of it!
The green shrubs just short of the balcony, and the green door and windows add a perfect contrast that helps to make the pink walls pop even more than they already do! The palm trees beside the home also help to give it an exotic vibe.
4. Oakland – California
I imagine you scrolled down to this image and couldn’t help but say to yourself “Wow!” I wouldn’t blame you! This home is simply incredible, like an image from straight out of a Disney film. The striking purple and yellow colors effortlessly cause this home to stand out from the crowd and give it a wholly unique sense of character.
The color scheme even extends right down to the plant life that dots the front yard. The plants have vibrant green colors, which are a sign of a happy and thriving plant, and the plants towards the top have even sprouted beautiful purple flowers.
The finishing touch on this home that really cements it as a feat of Mexican-styled architecture is the lone cactus that is propped just short of the front door, and that looks out over the street. I could talk about this home for hours, but to save you the trouble, let’s move on to number 5!
5. Alameda – California
Time for something a little more ‘Down-to-Earth’. This amazing home features a far more subtle color scheme, of light blue tones, accented by darker-toned window frames, and wooden beams and supports. The orange roof tiles and front door are the perfect color to pair with the blue, as they pop out, and draw your eye.
The eye is also naturally led towards the front door, thanks to the red pathway that also extends into similarly colored steps. Walking across this small pathway would feel like walking a red carpet to an old-timey Hollywood premiere!
This house also features a large window towards the front, which no doubt lets in lots of sunlight, which fosters a joyous atmosphere!
6. White Cactus
The small patch of red tiling that adorns the very center of the subtle and compact home really helps to lend it an exciting flavor. The red tiles provide a wonderful shade for the front door, but also allow the front of the home to pop.
Leading up to the home itself is a series of spacious planters filled to the brim with various cacti and other green plant life, which help to create a further color injection. This home feels like an incredible balance between classically styled Mexican architecture, and vibrant nature, which helps to remind you of the historic roots of this amazing home.
7. San Leandro – California
This is another home that has an amazingly designed front pathway. Walking the red steps towards the shaded front door would easily have you feeling like a VIP, aided by the incredible palm trees that line the pathway. These palm trees give the home an exotic flavor that not only brings some life to the home but has also no doubt added some vibrancy to the whole neighborhood.
The simple and flat home features a small and unassuming shape, and its white color helps to reflect sunlight, which only adds to the sense of life that the home exudes. The red tiles and red window frames are also reminiscent of the sun’s color, which gives the home a summery look.
8. California
This home has managed to strike an incredible balance between modern elegance, and classical style. The white home features an unassuming shape and a subtle profile, which helps to let the home blend effortlessly with its surroundings. Towards the right side of the home are modern fences, featuring factory-cut wood that has a sharp and sleek look, which contrasts with the earthly feel of the rest of the home, with its concrete outer walls.
Tall palm trees just short of the home seem to dwarf it, and would definitely provide some much-needed shade during those blazing summer months.
9. Sarasota – Florida
When you really stop and analyze the shape of this home, you’ll notice that it has the distinct image of an old battlement, like an old castle that has been converted into a modern home. The tall turret structure towards the center of the home’s front is a striking and sharp shape that stands in contrast to the mostly subtle exterior of the home.
The home boasts a square-like shape like a small white box that has been placed onto the lawn in a modern suburban neighborhood.
The silver lamppost outside of the home also helps to give the home a classy sense of style, thanks to its nostalgic and old-timey look.
10. Blue And Red
Many Mexican homes can also be spotted thanks to unique paintings and murals towards the front. This home, situated on a sloped street features a tremendous blue and red color scheme, with images of stars dotted throughout.
The red patches on the home surround the edges of distinct shapes that the home features which gives it a geometrical image made up of unique shapes. These red patches are further accented with white stripes that give the home a flash of vibrancy that helps it to stand out (not that it was having any trouble with doing that!)
11. Casa Tiny – Puerto Escondido
‘Casa Tiny’ is true. This small concrete home simultaneously screams ‘vision of the future’ and ‘rural farm’. The large pool, with clear and crisp water is surrounded by fresh plant life that almost looks like crops that are just waiting to be harvested.
The home itself may not appear overly remarkable, but its concrete construction stands out squarely amongst the sands that surround it. The blend of ‘future’ and ‘past’ is helped by the concrete building which almost looks out of place; a modern concrete building juxtaposed against desert sands.
This home also isn’t a distant dream, and you can rent it for your own fantasy vacation right now, if you felt so inclined (and why wouldn’t you?).
12. Mexico City
This house makes the absolute most out of traditional materials. You’d think, after centuries of using wood to construct our homes, we’d eventually run out of ways to make it look unique or modern. Well, turns out that’s exactly what this home did. The varnished wood planks that make up the garage door here give the home a warm and cosy feeling that is reminiscent of Autumn. These more vibrant woods are then juxtaposed against harsh dark concrete that makes up the rest of the structure.
This blend of amazing colors really gives this home a one-of-a-kind unique look that you won’t have seen anywhere else. Its sharp and boxy structure also further helps to give it that modern shine.
13. Santa Fe
This amazing home was refurbished from an old home in the Santa Fe area. It would be easiest when remodeling any home to just go for any old modern style, but the designers of this home wanted to stick to its Mexican roots.
The home features an old castle-like structure, with elements of the building being different sizes, such as the taller towering section on the left. The home also has a modern look thanks to the funky shapes that have been used to create its structure. The windows, the walls, and even the tiles on the steps all have a square or rectangular shape that has the house looking like it’s popped out from a pop-art painting.
14. California
The large front door of this home almost looks like the grand entrance to an ancient cathedral. You could easily imagine the church bells chiming as you step through. The door itself is made from an intensely dark wood that juts out from the muted white color of the surrounding walls. Even the roof features this deep brown color.
Towards the left side of the house is a long balcony and a window with barn doors. Each of the wooden elements on this end of the house is painted with a light green color which has a natural feel. You could easily imagine that the designer of this home was inspired by the local trees, to create elements of dark brown that work in tandem with elements of green.
15. Virginia
With odd shapes and wavy lines throughout the main profile of this home, it’s remarkable that it is still able to look so effortlessly classy. The entire home, save for the conspicuously red chimney, is bathed in a white glow. However, the home does have a slight darkness to it, as the white glow is almost more grey or blue in appearance.
This image looks just like a prototypical American home, with two floors, a sizable porch, and a large front pathway leading to the entrance door. The home is also surrounded by tall trees that no doubt also have a great history of their own.
16. Oklahoma City
The balcony on this home looks like a wonderful spot to observe your neighborhood like a king from medieval times looking over his kingdom. The balcony itself is wonderfully designed, and sits atop a well-sized porch that also makes for a great outdoor perch; somewhere to put a rocking chair and listen to the sounds of local birds and the rustling of trees in the wind.
The grey outer walls have a sharp look to them. You can almost feel the rough texture of the concrete just from looking at it. These grey colors are accented by white elements, such as the pillars that hold the balcony aloft. The roof also features deep red tiles that reflect the sunlight that beams down onto it.
17. California
This home features a juliet balcony just above the sizable garage. This balcony would definitely give you an incredible view over the front yard, and the large doors would also let in plenty of sunlight to fuel your day and to give you a pleasant wake up call in the morning!
The winding driveway, up towards the garage, also makes the home look larger than it is, thanks to forced perspective. The curve of the driveway creates the illusion that the house is much further away than it actually is, which gives it the appearance of an old castle. Pretty cool!
18. Mexico
Simplicity is definitely king when it comes to this pink dream home. The home may be small in space, but it more than makes up for it with incredible height.
The windows on the upper half of the house extend across the entire length of the wall, and can be opened fully, by sliding the wooden blinds to the side. This allows for so much fresh air to get in, and lets the sunlight flow throughout.
It appears unremarkable from the outside, but the more time you spend looking at it, the more you will become impressed with the first-class architecture displayed in its construction.
The home is also surrounded on all sides by plenty of nature, and short trees which help to make it stand out. The small trees also help to lend the building a sense of size, which makes it appear larger than it already is.
19. Pacific Palisades
You can see the incredible structure of this home from just a short glance. It almost appears as though the larger home has been built around the central round section, which features a large balcony, and almost looks like a large turret from an ancient castle.
This unique design structure helps to give the home a sense of size, even though, realistically speaking, it is actually quite small!
The plant life that climbs the sides of the white walls gives a splash of color, contrasting with the muted colors of the trees that spread out far and wide behind the house.
20. Hollywood Hills
The long lawns of this incredible home seem to flow like water, reflecting the sunlight from above. The stone steps, dotted across the lawn, guide your eyes gently towards the central home structure so that you will be floored when you see what awaits you.
In this image, the warm glow of the lights from inside of the home help to give this house a homely feel, and a warmth that is important for any good home.
Finishing Thoughts
Now you can clearly see the indelible impact that Mexican style has had on modern and contemporary architecture. Clearly, there is something timeless about Mexican architectural standards, and that is how it has been able to have such strong staying power.
Look around when you’re next out and about, to see if you can spot any Mexican inspired buildings near you. You might be surprised at what you can discover.
While tiny homes are becoming increasingly popular, there are still many people that are unaware of the best accessories, and necessities to purchase. This is why I decided to set up Clothesline Tiny Home, to share my experiences with others.
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