Casa Tao Is a Puerto Vallarta Home Shaped by Shade and Memory

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In Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where the sun dictates the pace of daily life, shade is not just relief but necessity. Casa Tao, designed by HW Studio, embraces this condition as both practical response and a promise of calm. Rather than chasing views, the home turns inward, seeking a deeper conversation with memory, intimacy, and atmosphere.

The project began not with architectural sketches, but with the life stories of its inhabitants. For Gustavo, the house is rooted in memories of his modest childhood home where resourcefulness mattered more than materials. Those early spaces left an lifelong lesson: shade could be more than shelter – it could embody a sense of calm and protection.

A minimalist concrete building with curved walls, a gravel section with a large rock, and a small tree planted in a circular patch of greenery.

Gustavo and his partner Cynthia brought this sensibility, along with their shared fascination with Japanese architecture, into the brief for Casa Tao. A family trip to Japan instilled in them an admiration for the way minimalism and stillness are orchestrated in built space. “We’d like to feel as if we were living inside a Japanese museum,” the owners shared. Their desire was not to reproduce that world literally, but to create a home that carried the same quiet discipline – an environment where daily life could feel more measured, contemplative, and open to subtle detail.

A person in dark clothing stands on a light wood floor in a minimalist courtyard with curved concrete walls, trees, rocks, and gravel patterns, viewed from above.

HW Studio responded with a design that balances retreat and openness. The house is arranged around a nearby plaza shaded by mature trees. Instead of exposing itself directly to the intensity of the coastal sun, the building angles its relationship to the landscape, allowing breezes and filtered presence rather than full-on exposure. This diagonal approach frames life inside the house, as if the architecture itself were observing quietly, rather than demanding attention.

A woman walking in a black dress.

A person in a black outfit sits alone on a light stone platform near a large rock, with a pool of dark water at the top of the image, viewed from above.

A woman in a black dress stands in a minimalist concrete courtyard with gravel, a large rock, and a small tree under a clear sky.

The spatial layout separates functions across two floors. Bedrooms, service spaces, and the garage occupy the larger ground level with a sense of privacy. Above, a double-height volume containing the social areas seems to hover lightly within, surrounded by terraces that open toward treetops and the open sky. From these elevated platforms, the experience is designed for contemplation, with social life lifted away from the street, immersed instead in wind, floral scents, and filtered light.

A narrow rectangular pool is set between two tall concrete walls, with a large stone on the tan floor in the foreground and trees visible beyond the pool.

Intimate zones are arranged around a courtyard, where silence and air are given priority. A curved entry wall guides visitors gently inward, leading to a tree that greets them like a living sculpture. Additional trees are planted into the terraces, bringing a piece of nature to every vantage point.

A narrow pool of water reflects minimalist concrete walls and a large rock, creating a symmetrical, serene architectural scene under a clear sky.

A modest swimming pool, situated between concrete walls, reflects the natural light and its surroundings.

A minimalist interior with concrete walls, wooden furniture, a dining table with chairs, lounge chairs, a bench, and soft natural light.

Materially, Casa Tao works with restraint. White surfaces catch the brilliance of the Pacific sun, while concrete softens its glare, holding light in a more subdued nature. The textures are tactile and meant to age gracefully over time. Inside, the same materials continue with concrete cladding most of the surfaces. Modern wood furnishings are paired with black details and scaled back, leaning into the Japanese aesthetic the homeowners requested.

Minimalist dining room with a wooden table, six chairs, a bare branch in a white vase, concrete walls, and large windows letting in natural light.

Minimalist room with concrete walls, wooden furniture, and neutral tones; a blurred person stands near the corner, and natural light enters through a high window.

A black and white cat sits on a concrete stairwell, illuminated by natural light coming from above in a mostly shadowed, minimalist space.

A single stone is placed on the floor at the end of a narrow, dimly lit concrete corridor with light entering from an opening above.

A minimalist bedroom with concrete walls, a bed, and a large glass door opens to a small courtyard with a tree and greenery.

A minimalist courtyard with concrete walls features a small tree surrounded by gravel, a large rock, and some low green plants.

A minimalist bedroom with concrete walls, a low bed, and a glass door opening to a small, enclosed courtyard with a large rock and sparse gravel.

A minimalist concrete courtyard with gravel ground, large rocks, and an opening above revealing a tree and blue sky.

Minimalist bedroom with concrete walls, a simple bed, wooden floor, and large glass doors opening to a small enclosed courtyard with gravel and a single rock.

Curved concrete wall with visible bolt marks, gravel ground, a large rock, and natural light casting soft shadows.

A minimalist reading nook features a wooden bench with an open book, a small wooden stool, built-in bookshelves, and a concrete wall with soft overhead lighting.

A modern concrete building with a large black metal door, minimal windows, and sparse landscaping with trees and bushes along the sidewalk.

To learn more about Casa Tao and HW Studio, visit hw-studio.com.

Photography by Hugo Tirso Domínguez, César Belio, and Gustavo Quiroz, courtesy of v2com.
Video by Mavix and Hugo Tirso Domínguez.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.





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