renovated living room

This image features the renovated living room – looking into the new kitchen space.

Earthen plasters were added to the repaired adobe walls using the reddish tinted clay soil harvested locally.

The plaster in this renovated living room image is so fresh, it is still drying (see dark spots, lower left of image). As mentioned above – the clay/soils were harvested locally. They did not require added pigments nor clay added in. Luckily in our area we can harvest local soils rich in clay that make perfect earthen plasters. We also have the choice of choosing different pigmented soils. Often found in arroyos or on the land of those we are working on. On occasion we have even been able to use foundation soil on new builds.

The window in the image, left has been added. It was partially filled in due to it being prior to the renovation, an entry door. This 800 sq. ft. home had 4 doors in it, so we opted to close 2 of them in to create a better flow to the layout.

Closing up the doorway changed the layout of the room. It allowed for more space for furniture while adding some much needed light to this small renovated living room.

Note the deep window sills. The walls in this house are double thick adobe blocks, which give added insulation for heating and cooling. Thin pine planks were used for the trim, a simple square joint in keeping with the rustic nature of the house.

The sills were then sealed with thinned linseed oil which will turn golden naturally over time with sun exposure. We also then waxed the sills with an eco-wax made with a bees wax base for added protection.

As seen in prior images, we kept the old ceiling intact. The rough-sawn wood planks and vigas were cleaned and touched up as needed.