Famed Mexican architect Luis Barragan& #039;s own house in Mexico City, built in 1947, is a beacon for design enthusiasts everywhere; after visiting the house, English architect John Pawson called it "a place of theater, quiet theater, but no less dramatic for that." Among the subtle theatrical touches: a gold painting by Mathias Goeritz (see an example at Christie& #039;s ), positioned at the top of an otherwise monastic stairwell.