The Apartment 23 project takes its name from its location on the 23rd floor of a residential tower in Boca del Río, a suburb south of the Mexican port of Veracruz. The city, in the state of Veracruz, has received its name, meaning estuary, from its location on the left bank of the Jamapa river that flows here into the Gulf of Mexico. Boca del Río is the administrative center of the municipality of Boca del Río and has about 10,000 inhabitants. It is also home to part of the important port of Veracruz and is famous for the World Trade Center Veracruz, which hosts business meetings, conferences and conventions.
Right on the seafront is the latest project by Mexican studio Red Arquitectos, directed by Susana Lopez.
Starting from a house still to be defined, also as a planimetric subdivision, the designers were able to accommodate the wishes of the client, a single man who loves the sea, with a wide circle of friends and an intense social life. In fact, the absolute protagonist of Apartment 23 is the unparalleled view of the sea, as the continuous visual dialogue with the Gulf of Mexico is the first thing you notice coming into the house from the elevator.
In the project, the prominent role of the ocean is not only limited to large openings, but defines all the choices made by Red Arquitectos for the interiors. Susana Lopez tells us: "The whole house revolves around the sea. This is why we chose blue bay marble to obtain an "extension" from the sea. The other materials are stones and a bit of wood. The protagonist of the space must be the landscape."
A design solution that attenuates the sensation of heat, which here is quite intense almost all year round. It is not by chance that the materials spread a feeling of calming freshness. 
The house has two bedrooms with bathrooms and an open-plan living area with kitchen, dining room and living room. As far as the furnishings are concerned, Susana Lopez and her team followed the personality of the client, who wanted a house with a classic and timeless style, a place that reflected his inspiration and was not subject to the latest trends, with the risk of seeming obsolete in a short time. For this reason we find solid furniture, comfortable seats, where to stay in the company of friends, and a large table to dine together. A large kitchen with counter communicates with the dining room and the living room. The kitchen, especiallz at night, offers a spectacular view of the city of Veracruz, while the dining area and the living room open onto the sea..
Apartment 23 shows the versatility of Red Arquitectos, always attentive to its clients, whether they are private people, as in this case, or clients of public places, such as restaurants and bars. The choice of materials and attention to detail, which has always distinguished the work of Susana Lopez and her team, has been documented by photographer Armando Ascorve.

Christiane Bürklein