Casa Maqui

Puerto Varas, Chile

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Casa Maqui

Puerto Varas, Chile

Firm

LAGAR

Type

Residential › Private House

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2022

SIZE

3000 sqft - 5000 sqft

BUDGET

$500K - 1M

An unexpected encounter
This house begins with a curious story. A couple contacted us to design their new home in Frutillar. Just before starting, the purchase of the plot fell through. Fortunately, they quickly found an alternative: a site in Puerto Varas. As they described it to us, we realized something unusual — it was the lot right next to our own home, a piece of land that had a large maqui tree that our children devoured every summer.
That’s how the design for Maqui House began, in a place we’ve walked and lived in for years. We know its light, its winds, its rhythms. That familiarity shaped the architectural approach from the very beginning.
The brief: intimacy, joy, and shared life
The family had a clear desire: to enhance common spaces that foster quality time, intimacy, and joy. The architecture had to support that lifestyle without excess — warm, simple, and open to connection.
The design responds with a simple gesture: an L-shaped volume that adapts gently to the terrain, sheltering from prevailing winds, facing north and embracing views of the lake and volcano, while also protecting privacy from nearby paths. This approach creates a warm interior and a reserved, grounded exterior.
Layout: clarity and flow
The house is arranged on a primary daytime level. Entry is through the corner of the L, passing a windbreak foyer (chiflonera) that leads directly into the kitchen — the heart of the home. The kitchen, dining, and living spaces share the same view and open onto a terrace descending to the garden and orchard.
At the far end of the social area is a bright, elevated barbecue space (quincho) designed for celebrations, long conversations, and relaxed gatherings, always in relationship with the landscape.
Materiality: honesty and care
The house sits on a concrete slab, with a structure of traditional timber framing in treated pine. Walls and roofs are assembled with layers of insulation and ventilation membranes, essential for the climate of southern Chile.
We chose simple materials, handled with care and creativity. The first level exterior is clad in micro-corrugated Aluzinc, while the second is covered with recycled wood shingles. Inside, over light porcelain tile flooring, we lined the walls with vertical pine boards treated with white Osmo wash, and used the same pine for ceilings, door panels, and window linings.
A house for good living
Maqui House is a home designed for everyday pleasure. Built with care, in constant dialogue with its landscape and its inhabitants, it reflects our vision of architecture: approachable, warm, and grounded in meaning.

Photographer credits: Nico Saieh
Photographer website: https://www.nicosaieh.cl/

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Casa Maqui

Puerto Varas, Chile

Casa Maqui

Puerto Varas, Chile

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team