Domestic architecture

The façades of Tenerife's traditional buildings are generally quite plain, with few decorative features except for their wonderful wooden balconies adorned with latticework, protruding proudly over the streets. They have sash windows and usually have window seats on the inside set into the wall. Their inner patios are hidden gardens, some of which still feature the traditional water still (a curious and lovely device used to filter water and keep it cool).

The patios are surrounded by a veranda supported by columns of tea pine which the bedrooms and chambers branch off from. The veranda can be accessed by a wooden stairway, in keeping with the finishings throughout the entire house.

The colours of the façades of the traditional houses, with their thick walls, are generally varied and striking, though the recent trend favours plain white which makes for a little less character. You will find examples of this architectural style all over the Island, but some settlements prove particularly interesting, as is the case of the hamlet of Masca.