Casa Basteris is back: a writer's oasis in Oaxaca

Description

This is not an Airbnb: this is our beloved summer home. Casa Basteris is ideal for academics, writers, and small families, or for anyone who wants space, greenery, and quiet within walking distance of the city center. The house The very large main bedroom has a king-size bed, and the second bedroom, which overlooks the back garden, has a double bed. A third room can be made available on request. There are two full bathrooms and a half bathroom, a large living room, and a second large family room at the back of the house. Two separate studies are lined with bookshelves that together hold a full library in several languages. An inner patio, once used by a painter as a studio, can easily be set up as a yoga room. The kitchen is fully equipped with appliances and stainless-steel cookware, and there is a separate laundry room. The walls are finished in traditional lime plaster tinted with mineral pigments and prepared according to centuries-old recipes. The lighting is warm throughout the house, between 2200K and 2700K, with fixtures chosen to keep the rooms soft and restful at night. Such lighting is rare in Oaxaca, where harsh white light increasingly floods streets and homes. The gardens A lawn fills the front yard around a working sandstone fountain with fish and water plants. The backyard is a stone garden planted with succulents and rare cacti, and a maracuyá vine gives passion fruit all year round. A sustainable home We aim to run the house as sustainably as we can. The garden is watered with recycled water, and we collect thousands of liters of rainwater over each rainy season. Solar heaters supply the hot water, and a large compost bin sits tucked away at the back of the garden. The neighborhood The house sits on a gated private street in Reforma, a neighborhood with its own cafés, restaurants, and local market. Families with young children will find several excellent daycares and preschools nearby, one of them just two blocks from the house, as well as Acuarela, a much-loved swimming school. Downtown Oaxaca and the historic Barrio de Xochimilco are each a ten-minute walk away, with their restaurants, museums, galleries, and libraries, and the parks of El Llano and Conzatti lie along the way.