CASA DE LOS BALCONES

A 17th century paradise in miniature, just waiting to be discovered

Considered the most important lacemaking and craft centre in the Canary Islands, Casa de Los Balcones combines architecture, history, tradition, folklore and artisan products. Here, you can discover not only the Casa’s famous lace, but also its truly unique house-museum

Architecture

Traditions

Crafts

At a glance

This mansion stands out for its courtyard, designed in the characteristic Canary Islands style with a long balcony on the two top floors and a host of exuberant tropical vegetation.
The discreet chiaroscuro and fresh, natural ambience welcome visitors, enveloping them in a soothing stillness filled with the rich aroma of history and a hint of intense fragrance. The bright blue of the Canary Islands sky peeks through above, between the leaves of the tall palm trees

entrance and façade

The impressive façade of this three-storey house (known as asobrada or “tall house” in local parlance) is crowned on the top floor by a continuous balcony made from carved pine heartwood, which vies for top spot in the beauty stakes with the balcony on the house next door. The façade incorporates nine windows, also framed in wood and patterned with plant motifs. Above the central window, in sculpted stone, is the coat of arms of the Fonseca family (1715).

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Patio interior La Casa de Los Balcones

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Balcon interior La Casa de Los Balcones

courtyard

Inside, the standout feature is the courtyard, with its tall columns made of pine heartwood. The columns stand on stone pedestals with carved Corinthian-style capitals at the top, which support the upper gallery with itstwin balustrades and panels with carved floral motifs

balconies

This majestic balcony, overlooking the mansion’s grand inner courtyard, forms an upper gallery that visitors cannot help but admire.
The entire structure was hand-crafted by master carpenters from the local area.

The balconies of the Canary Islands are part of the region’s architectural traditions.

Similar in style to the balconies of Andalusia and southern Portugal, they are a feature of the Canary Islands’ grand mansions as well as more modest rural dwellings.

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Salon

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Comedor

museum-house

We’ve opened up our house to the public! Come inside and find out what the domestic life of a bourgeois landowner in the Canary Islands was like. You’ll discover an extensive collection of antique objects that were used by the people who lived here in times past.

the home of canary islands lacemaking

Casa de Los Balcones is the home of Canary Islands lacemaking.

Here, lace is made in strict accordance with tradition, preserving the centuries-old techniques so that they can be passed down to future generations through the workshops that take place at the House.

The two artisanal techniques most commonly used in Canary Islands lacemaking are the calado and the roseta. The calado technique is a form of embroidery, involving the strategic removal of threads from a fabric that has been stretched onto a wooden frame, while the roseta technique involves the creation of patterns by interweaving threads between pins placed onto a small, circular fabric backing

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Lagar en Canarias

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WINERY

Wine is a key element in European culture and a fundamental part of the Mediterranean diet. It was brought to the Canary Islands by the first Spanish colonists when the region was conquered.

Not only did the Spanish bring wine with them; they also began to build wineries in the Canary Islands, along with wine cellars made out of stone, wood and tile