S4C - 04Wal

La Chacra was built to be a home for Rini back in the seventies, and everything in the house reflects the taste of both the owner and the decade in which it was built. The home was designed by the architect Walter Christiani, whose inspiration came from the houses of the Californian frontier. This is a flat-roofed house with large windows – which make the most of the splendid views.

owner: Rini Griffiths
location: Esquel, Patagonia
style: A building that is an unaltered tribute to 1970s architecture
best feature: The way the house flows from one room to the next, and the fantastic views

Rini is particularly fond of the large open-plan room, which is redolent of the spirit of the seventies and yet keeps a modern edge. According to her wishes, the room’s open design allows one to enjoy the view through the window from even the furthest corner.

Rini was also responsible for choosing the interior décor for the house, mainly in a shopping trip to Buenos Aires, which ensured that all the different elements match up, such as the light shades. The colours are strong and bold – a combination of orange and blue. And in amidst all this modernity there sits an ancient stove that came from Trefelin : almost a century old, but it fits in beautifully while keeping the room cosy.

There are plenty of Welsh elements scattered through the building, which is now run by Rini as a guest-house. She says that when the Welsh build a house, they build it to last, and she declares that she can’t envisage herself ever moving from her wonderful home.

HOUSES from this series

HOUSES from past programmes

city living