Located in a suburb of Querétaro in central Mexico, the 1,345-square-foot Casa Y house, designed by the local firm Anonimous-LED, features a sunken kitchen that defines the architecture of the overall space.

“They really wanted a very intimate house, but at the same time, full of life,” says Alfonso Jiménez Enciso, one of the firm’s three partners. To help make the kitchen the heart of the house, Enciso and his team placed it more than 3 feet below grade. “We decided to expand the access from the kitchen to make it part of the staircase and double the height,” says Enciso. “Everything is very accessible, but above all, it’s very open.” To maximize light without sacrificing privacy, the south-facing facade features a series of diffusing aluminum profiles.