Hacienda Courtyards Book

Towering walls covered in flowering vines, carved stone columns, graceful arcades, tranquil water fountains and seductive palm-lined pools create the serene oasis that is the hacienda courtyard. Discover the rich colors, natural textures and design details that define the alluring, Mexican courtyard that is the heart of every hacienda home.
Hacienda Courtyards takes you on a behind-the-scenes tour of gracious outdoor living areas, from the Yucatán's colonial estates to the centuries-old homes and haciendas of Morelia, Alamos and Oaxaca. Cobbled courtyards boast sculptural stone spheres and breezy, hammock-strung portales reveal old stone pavers, handmade clay bricks and wooden beams.

Today, architects and designers are drawing inspiration from hacienda architecture and its age-old water heritage to create imaginative, secluded spaces: tiled wall fountains spill agua from old hacienda rainspouts into aquatic gardens with papyrus-filled stone feeding troughs. Swimming spaces include hacienda water tanks-turned-pools and a dramatic contemporary water space that flows beneath grand portal arches-allowing swimmers to encircle stone columns.

Explore the architectural elements, private water havens, furniture and garden vessels that will inspire you to create a courtyard paradise in your own home.

Award-winning authors of the popular Mexican design book series-Mexican Country Style, The New Hacienda, Casa Adobe, Adobe Details, Casa Yucatán, Mexican Details, and Hacienda Home-Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr were awarded La Pluma de Plata (The Silver Pen) from Mexico's Ministry of Tourism for The New Hacienda. As designers and antiques dealers, they have been at the forefront of the Mexican design movement for more than twenty-five years.

Based in Austin, Texas, Witynski and Carr are owners of Joe P. Carr Design, a gallery and design firm specializing in hacienda style, colonial furniture, and architectural elements. They have designed and renovated homes and haciendas throughout the United States and Mexico and have collaborated on numerous commercial design projects, including boutique hotels and restaurants.

The authors have been featured in national magazines, newspapers and television programs including Architectural Digest, Western Interiors, House Beautiful and HGTV's Takeover My Makeover.

Karen Witynski's photographs and articles appear in national design publications and Joe P. Carr is a hacienda design consultant and furniture designer. Together they divide their time between Mexico and their hacienda-style home in Texas. www.mexicanstyle.com.