Casa Pani, a guesthouse in Mexico

From Modernist Masterpiece to Boutique Guesthouse

An architect, an entrepreneur and a mezcal maker teamed up to transform this mid-century modern masterpiece into an intimate, six-bedroom guesthouse in quiet Cuauhtémoc. The designer property now includes spacious common rooms for co-working and gathering, filled with stellar period design, as well as rooftop terraces, a pool, alfresco courtyards and covered patios. It's an elegant upgrade of its 1962-era, single-family home origins.

Designed by pioneering Mexico City architect Mario Pani, an arbiter of the International Style of Latin America and the creator behind the National Conservatory of Music and the Secretariat of Urban Development, this property is a temple to mid-century modernism. The vintage space has been updated at the hands of LA architect Miggi Hood, entrepreneur Marie Cazalaa, and mezcal magnate Yola Jimenez, in collaboration with Mexico City architect Luciana de la Garza of Estudio Atemporal.

Original details such as porthole windows, patchwork stone floors, spiraling stairs, and organic, undulating plaster built-ins have been well preserved. The property’s newer suites are designed as pared down concrete forms that flow naturally from the home’s original wing. Common spaces are expressly for hosting—salon-worthy or tertulia-styled rooms made for mingling, in the company of high-design furnishings by international masters such as Vladimir Kagan, Italian architect Paolo Buffa, Egg Chair designer Arne Jacobson, and Finnish-American industrial designer Eero Saarinen.

Guest suites feature vintage works such as a carved mahogany and glass screen by Eugenio Escudero, and newly created custom beds designed by co-owner/architect Hood and fabricated by local artisans in Mexico City. In-home experiences include daily Oaxacan-style breakfast, in-room massage, a dipping pool designed by Miggi Hood, on-site private chef experiences, and an art concierge/guide available for booking itineraries throughout the city.

Read an interview with co-owner and Yola Mezcal founder Yola Jimenez in our POV magazine here.

Around

Cuauhtémoc is one of Mexico City’s oldest neighborhoods, a leafy residential reserve that has not yet redesigned itself as a buzzy arts and cultural zone like Roma or Condesa. Mostly quiet, with stately residences and mid-century landmarks like the magnificent stain-glassed church that shares the guesthouse’s street, it’s a peaceful yet central part of the city, with easy access to museums, parks, and restaurants. The neighborhood is home to the Mexican Stock Exchange and numerous embassies, and bordered by the bustling Avenida de la Paseo de la Reforma. Locals gather at cafes, inventive restaurants and designer boutiques along Rio Panuco Road, and the area is considered the capital city’s cultural and economic hub. The 1,700-square-acre Parque de Chapultepec borders the neighborhood and is one of the city’s great urban parks. Mexico City’s historical center, Zócalo, is located in Cuauhtémoc, and features the Palacio Nacional, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and, close by, the ruins of the Aztec Templo Mayor/Tenochtitlán temple.