Los Palos Grandes, Caracas. In a steeply sloping garden, the path leads through plants and platforms at different levels, at the entrance of this magnificent restaurant. Its imposing origami ceiling, built with metal to achieve wide spans, and covered in teak wood, serves as a connector between the volumes and invites access to the main space where the table and bar areas are with a view of the garden with the imposing Avila mountain in the background.
Designed in Caracas, the house sits on a hillside, configuring a series of terraces and balconies to look out over itself, the city and Ávila. The volume is made up of 2 naves of different heights to introduce natural light, and clearly marks a basement to achieve the lightness of the upper level. Sequences of double heights move to achieve spatial fluidity in its interior. Recreation spaces and gardens are seen as extensions of the internal space of the house, dematerializing the barrier between interior and exterior and thus taking advantage of the benefits of the tropical climate.
Perched on a hillside on the beautiful coastline, the House in La Sabana is developed in several modules, taking advantage of the best views that the land offers. The central module contains the social program, kitchen and main room, and works in turn as an articulating hinge for the rest of the complex, which develops along the topography where four volumes with rooms open up like a fan.
Located in La Torre ABA, Las Mercedes, Caracas. Isabel Caleya designed a new franchise, the project of a cafe called Socado, which both architectural design and interior design resulted in a differentiating place with an attractive corporate image. The social space has three areas, a terrace that stands out for a beautiful ceiling inspired by the "colorhythms" of the artist Alejandro Otero, with benches and enclosures made with burned woods to darken them with the Japanese Shou Sugi Ban technique. On the inside, the first space is set up with tables and chairs to create a work environment, followed by the VIP, with comfortable sofas and armchairs oriented to see the great ceiling and floor mural by the artist Carlos Cruz Diez.
Apartamento AM, Caracas. Designed and remodeled by the firm of Isabel Caleya Architecture in 2018, the space and the use of materials show the clear intention of maintaining the modern spirit of Beckoff, the building's architect. By opening spaces, the functions are integrated so that the living room, dining room, and kitchen become a single environment. In this case, even the master bedroom was opened to the social areas to achieve an entire front of natural lighting and views towards the beautiful Caracas valley.
Los Chorros, Caracas. Designed in 2015, its construction was completed in 2016. The challenge was to modernize the typical Venezuelan neocolonial spaces that characterized the house prior to the intervention, together with the integration of its green areas. Design and construction merged during its execution giving a special character to this house, since many decisions were made along the process, such as the opening of large windows and doors, integrating the tropics to its spaces. The project included furniture design, the merged libraries that also serve as space dividers, the main kitchen and an emblematic concrete bench that faces the garden, as well as a special door made of recycled metal designed exclusively for this place.
La Castellana, Caracas. Designed and remodeled in 2012, this space shows Isabel Caleya’s eclecticism without neglecting the spaces that characterize her creations. The central focus of the changes was carried out in the structure of the kitchen, which was worked with mixed furnishings that integrate bar and kitchen, always leaving spaces for decoration. The bathrooms also received a modern renovation with materials such as marble and wood. The color palette frequently used by the architect gracefully combines grey walls with black dyed wood flooring, giving the apartment a European-style elegance, without leaving aside a contemporary spirit.
Licoteca: two concepts that come together under one name: the union of a liquor store and a research library to learn about the spirits to be found inside.
The Licoteca project was an enormous challenge. From the beginning, the invitation to the project included participating in the whole image concept. Together with the creative experts, the work consisted of positioning a concept, coming up with a name and logo, and generating an entire architectural image and interior design to accomplish a unique and recognizable image in any given place.
There were key elements to begin working: reusing the existing houses, researching about recycled materials related to the theme, such as barrels, and their use in the facade.
Like in any library, walls were used to display bottles, thus generating a 'texture' of books and bottles within a grid. The wine cellar, located right in the middle of the store, was to maintain transparency, light and fluidity between the spaces. For this, we found inspiration in Sol Lewitt, who created sculptures with cubic forms. For its construction we used metal, glass and wood pipes in order to achieve a structure with ample spatial movement and flexible to changes.
Alto Hatillo, Caracas. Designed in 2012 and built in 2013, this beautiful architectural workis different from other conventional designs of headquarters for children vacation camps in Venezuela. However, the wide spaces of La Naciente also work for corporate events, piñatas and other events.Its design was inspired by aircraft wings, where the deck resembles Origami folds.
Its high metallic structure covered with teak wood achieves great spatiality and flows with its environment; its slightly steep metal columns, placed in pairs or trios were inspired by the trunks of the trees of the forest behind it.
El Viso, northeast of Madrid, 2009. The house is located in a residential area designed by modernist architect Rafael Bergamín. In the remodeling of the house, which resembles the 1960s Caracas architecture, Caleya stands firm in maintaining her modern lines. For these book loving clients, a vertical four-story library was designed to store hundreds of books in an aesthetic and organized fashion. The the staircase is attached to the shelves of the library where the desired books are within reach. For the basement, an English yard was created to achieve more amplitude, views of the garden and luminosity to the owners’ studios.
Caurimare, Caracas. Alambique was designed by Caleya & Diaz Architects in 1995 and was completed in 1996. In order take advantage of the views of El Ávila mountain, the house was conceived to be raised from the ground. For that reason, it was built half a level over its garage, thus creating a service basement for the house. The wide spaces of the living room, terrace and dining room were built with Carora bricks, receive plenty of light through its large windows and enclosures. Spaces particularly convergein this "L" shaped construction. Its double heights, its open bridge into the main room grant the house great spatiality and movement.
El Hatillo, Caracas, 2016. This liquor store bears the color palette of the company logo as well as the characteristic orange that stands out in the exterior roofs and display windows, and its grey facade and interiors. With large windows, characteristic of the architect's work, this space houses liqueurs with the same plasticity as Licoteca. Inspired by the U.S. artist Sol LeWitt, its metal structured cellar becomes the central space of the store, which shows consumers the finest and most expensive wines in a cellar specially designed for practicality. The use of materials goes from concrete finishings, gray granite floors and industrial metal shelving designed for this new franchise that opens its doors with a new corporate identity in our city, Caracas.
Santa Rosa de Lima, Caracas, 2014. Isabel Caleya’s design and construction are evidence of her search for modernity in the clean finishes of her spaces, always mixed with the characteristic nature of the capital city. The clarity of the environments is shown in the color palette: a combination of white floors and light gray walls that make social spaces a perfect canvas for its modern furniture.
The kitchen furniture plays with black and white tones, and the bathrooms are predominantly of Carrara marble and wood. However, the auxiliary bath surprises with a distinctive touch of scarlet red walls that break the pattern of the apartment.
El Hatillo, Caracas. Created together with architect Carlos Díaz, Delfino is one of the first creations of Caleya & Diaz Architects. Designed in 1995 and completed one year later, the house has a contemporary style with materials such as handmade Carora brick, wood and concrete finishings.
This house has the particularity of holding two houses under a single structure. These houses mirror each other from the breakdown of its roof and the inner stone wall that constitute their central axis, dividing this creation into two equal halves with double heights and separate parking.
Lighting is emphasized through the implementation of internal gardens illuminated by ceiling skylights and large windows in both residences.
El Hatillo, Caracas, was designed in 2007 and built in 2008. The integration is the common denominator of the spaces of this house, project that was an extension of the previously existing house. Following the guidelines of the client, Isabel Caleya managed to create, within a neocolonial Venezuelan style, spacious, open and modern spaces.
With the fusion of materials like its dark floors and white ceilings with wood logs bases, she achieved an excellent integration. Its interior rooms are integrated with nature thanks to large windows that run along the walls. A common denominator of her works is in the design of furniture specifically created for her spaces.
In the vicinity of El Avila, Caracas, designed in 1994 and completed in 1996, Ataala was the first project commissioned to Caleya & Diaz Architects. Since the beginning of their work, the search to generate large spaces integrated among them through double heights and proportions becomes obvious from their designs. The use of noble materials such as hand-made bricks from Carora and wood is specially noted. Its large windows, search for the best of the tropical light to integrate to its green areas. The pool was a subsequent design of its owners.
Renovation of a house from the seventies that has a very distinctive modern style. The proposal maintains the lines of the original design, creating new elements that harmonize with its architecture. In its two original floors, it is proposed to maximize the spaces, integrate them with each other and expand their social areas. With the design of a cylindrical metallic staircase, a new area proposed on the original roof of the house is increased, where social activities such as a terrace, barbecue, gym and Jacuzzi take place; and that enjoy a 360 degree view over the valley of Caracas.
Located in La Torre ABA, Las Mercedes, Caracas. Isabel Caleya designed a new franchise, the project of a coffe shop called Socado, in which both architectural and interior design, resulted in a differentiating place with an attractive corporate image. The social space is divided into 3 areas: a terrace that stands out for a beautiful ceiling inspired by the color rhythms of the artist Alejandro Otero, with benches and enclosures made with burned wood to darken them with the Japanese Shou Sugi Ban technique; a space indoors with tables and chairs, that creates a work enviroment, followed by the VIP, with comfortable sofas and easy chairs facing the great mural by the artist Carlos Cruz Diez.
Licoteca: two concepts that come together under one name: the union of a liquor store and a research library to learn about the spirits to be found inside.
The Licoteca project was an enormous challenge. From the beginning, the invitation to the project included participating in the whole image concept. Together with the creative experts, the work consisted of positioning a concept, coming up with a name and logo, and generating an entire architectural image and interior design to accomplish a unique and recognizable image in any given place.
There were key elements to begin working: reusing the existing houses, researching about recycled materials related to the theme, such as barrels, and their use in the facade.
Like in any library, walls were used to display bottles, thus generating a 'texture' of books and bottles within a grid. The wine cellar, located right in the middle of the store, was to maintain transparency, light and fluidity between the spaces. For this, we found inspiration in Sol Lewitt, who created sculptures with cubic forms. For its construction we used metal, glass and wood pipes in order to achieve a structure with ample spatial movement and flexible to changes.
Proposal for a Multipurpose Pavilion at the Andrés Bello Catholic University, located in Caracas, Venezuela. The roof seeks to blend in, and for the architecture to dissolve within the green of nature.
The project adds to the notion of an abstract time where the memory of the place prevails, and parts from what has been called the 'ZERO' point, located in the Mickey Square. This central node is the generator of the radial geometry of the project, as if it was a tree with branches, each extending on a different direction.
The approach to the pavilion offers different spatial experiences, depending on the point of arrival: From the student's house towards Mickey Square - which remains intact as a historical piece of the university - you are greeted by a visually permeable openwork wall, perched on a water screen, that on rainy days collects water and becomes a fountain. Leaving the 'modules' building, a green roof covered with vines connects with the north/south axis, reaching up to the Loyola center.
The central pavilion offers 165m2 of collective space. Covered by a high ceiling, where various activities such as exhibitions, concerts, graduations, yoga, dance, masses and extracurricular meetings take place.
LA CASTELLANA, CARACAS (2024)
This project proposes a ten-story building with a commercial sector at the base and multifamily housing at the top. Inspired by the residential buildings of architect Beckhoff, it consists of three towers that house 35 spacious and functional apartments, with large doors and windows that give access to terraces and offer a privileged view and lighting of the Caracas valley. The towers face east, north and south, with elevators and stairs in the center. The proposal is characterized by its clean and simple facades, with the use of low-maintenance noble materials and clean work finishes, and windows on all its facades.
