- Project: Morla House
- Architect: Stanaćev Granados
- Location: Chile, Matanzas
- Year: 2022
- Area: 120 m2
- Photography: Pablo Casals Aguirre, Manu Granados
In the coastal town of Matanzas, Chile, the Morla House by Stanaćev Granados redefines compact living with a design that embraces its rugged site and panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. Completed in 2022, this 1,291-square-foot rental home is a study in efficiency, flexibility, and expressive use of material.
Design Approach: Compact Yet Flexible
As a rental home, the project needed to maximize functionality on a tight budget and be executed with non-specialized local labor. The design compactly accommodates living, dining, kitchen, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, pantry, cellar, and terrace, while maintaining a strong architectural language.
A Dialogue with the Landscape
The home’s volume was shaped by site-specific conditions:
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North-facing orientation frames ocean views.
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South side shields against strong winds.
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West exposure protects from intense sunlight.
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East façade welcomes the morning sun.
This strategy created a demediated volume: a closed, abstract façade to the southwest, contrasted with open and extroverted north and east elevations.
Materiality: Black-Stained Pine
The entire house is clad in black-stained pine wood, unifying exterior and interior. Outside, the wood is continuous and abstract, while inside it creates a fluid spatial atmosphere, balancing shadow and light.
The interior’s black wood surfaces, combined with skylights, an open staircase, and sliding doors, produce a play of luminosity and penumbra, turning transitional areas into contemplative spaces.
Spatial Experience: Promenade and Fluidity
Entry occurs via a raised walkway, evoking the feeling of boarding a boat and immediately offering sweeping ocean views. The terrace extends the living and bedroom areas outdoors, reinforcing the flow between interior and exterior.
Inside, circulation itself becomes part of the design:
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The kitchen doubles as a stair landing.
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The pantry integrates into circulation space.
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The lower-level hallway functions as a multipurpose area.
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Even the entry walkway serves as an alternative terrace.
This multifunctional approach ensures the home feels larger than its modest footprint.
A Coastal Retreat Rooted in Simplicity
By combining efficiency, flexibility, and expressive materiality, the Morla House demonstrates how architecture can achieve more with less. The result is a coastal retreat that feels expansive, adaptable, and deeply connected to its site—a true embodiment of thoughtful small-scale living.
