House & Garden Tour Part I: A Chilean Parcela

I’ve done something new today and am taking you on a tour of the beautiful home and garden of Carmen Oria and Vicente Rodriguez.

During the day, Carmen is in charge of International Relations for the Chilean Education Ministry´s English Opens Doors Program. Her husband owns CommzGate, his own hi-tech systems development biz, specializing in mobile technology. They live in a beautiful home just outside Santiago, Chile, which they built themselves in a classic, Chilean Country House style.

The doors, windows and other architectural elements are from shops known as materiales de demolición. In other words, shops which sell doors and windows from demolished homes.

Carmen and her husband love to collect antiques, too. Their collection is extensive. One of her favorite pieces is an icebox, which sits in the dining room. It was bought in the city of Iquique, up in northern Chile where the nitrate (saltpeter) mining industry was Chile´s main revenue generator back in the 1800s and early 1900s before artificial nitrate was invented. Northern Chile is dotted with abandoned nitrate camps, like ghost towns.

Another is the traveling bar used for train trips in the old days. They replaced the antique glasses with handmade and etched copies. “A lady who had inherited several antiques and needed cash fast sold it to us,” adds Carmen.

Carmen’s mother-in-law is artist, María Elvira Moreno. Much of the artwork comes from Moreno’s studio. She sculpts, too.

In part II, we’ll see Carmen’s beautiful garden, eat grapes off the vine, and take a dip in the pool.

• Posted by Jennifer at 4:00 pm
• Tagged: Design Ideas, Garden & Outdoor, Destinations, Inspiration