4 min readIn most homes, color is an accent. In this one, it’s the main character. When Kallie Blauhorn first walked into her house in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, it was already beautiful—restored by previous owners, steeped in history, and largely untouched by time. But it wasn’t hers. “It was very traditional,” she says of the space, which featured pale tones and heavy woods more in line with a classic hacienda aesthetic. For Blauhorn, whose background spans art, fashion, and museum work, the home needed to do something more. It needed to feel like an experience.
Since the property’s exterior is protected by the city’s UNESCO status, Blauhorn focused entirely on the interiors. Spanning three levels, the house includes three bedrooms and five bathrooms, along with the inner courtyards that this region of Mexico is known for. From the outset, she had a clear directive: “I wanted color to be the hero.” Blauhorn deliberately avoided employing a traditional residential designer, opting instead for someone who could think more like an artist, prioritizing atmosphere over convention.
Blauhorn and local designer Maye Ruiz approached the house like a canvas. Ruiz drew from the Mexican flag, using more nuanced shades of red, green, and sun-washed yellow, and layering those across walls, ceilings, and textiles for a cohesive yet dynamic effect. That same sensibility carries through into the furnishings, where custom pieces by local studio Mestiz sit alongside handcrafted ceramics, tiles, and woven textiles from across the region.
Art also plays a central role in the scheme. In Australia, where Blauhorn and her husband are based, their home is far more industrial—an old textile factory turned living space—with architecture designed around an existing, ever-growing art collection. “We wanted that house to be where art comes first, and living comes second,” she says.
Here, they reversed the process. An early attempt to ship pieces from abroad stalled—quite literally, in Illinois—prompting a shift in thinking. Instead, they began collecting exclusively from Mexican artists, taking a slower, more considered approach. For Blauhorn, the opportunity to engage with local makers and allow the home to evolve over time has resulted in spaces that are not just lovely but deeply meaningful.
FAST FACTS
Designer:Maye Ruiz, for art collectors Andy Penn & Kallie Blauhorn
Location: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
The Space: A three-bedroom, five-bathroom home.
ENTRY
One of seven courtyards designed for of-the-moment entertaining.
Stepping through the front door, this internal courtyard immediately establishes the home’s layered material palette, with handmade tile underfoot adding pattern, rhythm, and a sense of permanence. Simple seating in vibrant red paired with a black-and-white striped bench cushion offers a shaded place to pause as the sun shifts throughout the day.
Because the property sits within a UNESCO-protected zone, even paving the courtyards required special approval, part of the delicate balance between preservation and contemporary living.
FOYER
Saturated color and handcrafted details offer a dynamic first look.
Glossy handmade tile in shades of raspberry and rust carries through the foyer, where woven details and saturated color establish the home’s richly layered aesthetic from the moment guests arrive. A sculptural chair with a seat wrapped in an ochre boucle and fringed with straw introduces a playful sense of movement.
STAIRWELL
Woven lighting transforms the stairwell into an artistic focal point.
Awash in dusty rose, the stairwell is lit from above by a skylight, allowing natural light to move through all three levels of the home. Oversized woven pendants hang like sculptural installations, their layers of fringe and varied weaves adding movement and texture overhead.
DINING ROOM
Botanical pattern and a verdant green palette define the home’s entertaining spaces.
Just off one of the home’s seven courtyards, the dining room layers verdant walls, botanical wallpaper, and arched red doors into a space designed for entertaining. “I wanted guests to walk in and experience Mexico,” Blauhorn says—a philosophy reflected in the room’s immersive color palette and handcrafted furnishings.
KITCHEN
Tile and texture ground the kitchen’s layered materials.
Three shades of green create a play on a monochromatic scheme. A checkerboard backsplash in rust and burnt orange—part of a design approach in which tile “plays a very large role in the house”—anchors the space.
LIVING ROOM
Sculptural seating creates an engaging gathering area built for socializing.
Layered in tonal greens, the room balances sculptural forms with a handwoven pendant and a large-scale work by Manolo Cocho. Though richly saturated, the palette was designed to soften in daily life—a quality Blauhorn attributes to the repetition of tone used throughout the home. Low-slung seating cultivates a casual, vacation-ready vibe.
DEN
Contemporary Mexican artwork shapes this intimate sitting area.
In a sunlit sitting area off the primary bedroom, a checkerboard rug, handwoven by local artisans, complements a wide array of ceramics, textiles, and vivid colors. On the wall, Merry Calderoni’s Adelita acts as a striking focal point.
GUEST ROOM
Warm ochre tones give the guest room a retreat-like feel.
Located on the lower level, the secondary bedroom is color-drenched in warm ocher, with raspberry-plum French doors that open to an outdoor courtyard. A metal canopy bed, softened by sheer drapery, reinforces the home’s unhurried feel.
BATHROOM
Handmade tile and imperfect surfaces lend history to this bath.
Clad in handmade green tile, the bathroom was designed to feel as though it had always existed within the 300-year-old home. Slight imperfections in the surface add depth and patina, giving the soaking tub a sense of age and permanence that contrasts with the room’s otherwise saturated palette. Pops of raspberry on the wall and vanity ground the scheme.
About the Designer
San Miguel de Allende–based interior designer and creative director Maye Ruiz is known for her immersive use of color, layered material palettes, and deeply atmospheric interiors. With nearly two decades of experience, Ruiz approaches each project through the lens of cultural context and spatial storytelling, often blending contemporary design with regional craft traditions.
Many of the home’s custom furnishings and lighting were created in collaboration with Mestiz, the artisan-focused studio founded by Ruiz and designer Daniel Valero. Working closely with regional makers, Mestiz incorporates natural materials such as palm, wood, ceramics, wool, and wicker into pieces that reflect the craftsmanship and cultural traditions of their place of origin.
