Subterms
Local art collective Xpan has created a multi-purpose creative studio called Xpan.Ep.1 in Mexico City using raw steel, aluminium, and transparent polycarbonate panels for its interior. More
Architecture studio Javier Senosiain Arquitectos has created a wood-lined office space in Mexico City informed by an “animal’s refuge” and other cave-like spaces. More
More than 20 local designers worked to revamp sections of a sprawling modernist mansion in Mexico City around the theme of future houses during this year’s Design Week Mexico. More
Mexican design studio Locus has utilised 50 per cent recycled materials for the interiors of a Singaporean restaurant in Mexico City.
Combining the varied flavours of Southeast Asia typical of Singapore’s cuisine, Makan serves customers within an industrial-style space in the Centro district of the Mexican capital.
Makan occupies an industrial-style space in Mexico City’s Centro neighbourhoodDesigners Jachen Schleich and Sana Frini of Locus aimed to prioritise environmental responsibility with the project, and so used recycled materials for half of the total fit-out.
“From the conception stage, the use of sustainable materials was prioritised, particularly the use of national white oak wood in much of the interior design,” said the studio.
The restaurant’s open kitchen is framed by the exposed concrete structure”This choice not only highlights the natural beauty of the surroundings but also ensures proper management of natural resources, promoting environmental conservation and supporting the local industry sustainably,” the team added.
The white oak forms counters, shelving and built-in seating throughout the space, contrasting the exposed concrete floors, columns and ceiling.
Wooden bench seating is built around the perimeter and a circular banquette is tucked into a cornerThe restaurant has street frontage on two sides, allowing the dining area to be flooded with natural light from tall operable windows.
This minimises the need for artificial light and air conditioning during the day, reducing electricity usage.
Private dining rooms are concealed behind sliding paper screensFreestanding tables and chairs supplement the booth seating around the perimeter, which includes a curved unit for large parties tucked into a corner.
Shelves above the banquettes are filled with wine bottles, glassware and other accessories, while open storage units are suspended above the two service counters.
The private rooms feature sunken floors and bench seats, and can be opened up to one anotherAlong one side is a series of private dining spaces behind paper screens, with sunken floors and wooden bench seating.
These rooms, which more closely reflect Asian dining traditions, can be opened up to one another via more screens,
MYT+GLVDK creates industrial-style restaurant in Mexico City
Behind the bar and open kitchen and across the bathroom walls, vertical timber boards are charred to a black finish.
“This technique not only adds a visually appealing element but also ensures durability and resistance, eliminating the need for harmful chemical treatments to the environment and health,” said Locus.
Open shelving is suspended above the bar counter as well as the open kitchen service areaPlanters large and small are peppered throughout the restaurant, adding greenery to the interior.
Overall, the tall ceilings, large windows and open kitchen create a light and airy atmosphere, while the material add an industrial edge.
Charred wood lines the walls in the bathroomsAs Mexico City’s food scene continues to grow, several gastro options with interesting interiors have opened over the past few months.
These range from a boba tea shop by Worc Studio to an industrial-style restaurant by MYT+GLVDK and a tiny taqueria by RA!.
The photography is by Rafael Gamo.
Project credits:
Locus team: Jachen Schleich, Sana FriniDesign team: Santiago Sitten, Ruy Berumen, Eduardo SilvaLighting: Locus x Estudio NuumbraSinks: Locus x Muebles de ConcretoChairs: Locus x Taller NacionalArt: It’s A Living, Sindrome de ClerambaultGraphic design: Foreign Policy Design
Read more: More
Mexican studio Worc Studio has inserted a minimalist boba tea shop into a colonial building in Mexico City, where drinks are passed into a translucent vertical “tunnel”.
Behind a traditional plaster facade with exposed stone trims, the compact Yoozoo shop in the Mexican capital’s Colonia Renacimiento neighbourhood emits a warm glow to entice passersby.
Boba tea fans in Mexico City can order and collect the drinks inside a polycarbonate tube”The exterior facade is integrated into a typical colonial building that radiates a minimalist charm that takes customers into a captivating polycarbonate tunnel filled with soft light,” said Worc Studio.
The shop solely sells variations of boba tea, or bubble tea – a drink that originated in Taiwan and is made of tea, milk, water, sugar and tapioca pearls.
The customer area is wrapped by translucent material on three sidesTo order and receive their iced milky drinks, the only space that customers can access is a tiny double-height area directly in front of the door.
“Occupying a small space, the design concept revolves around creating a journey for visitors, combining modern aesthetics with functionality,” said the studio.
Drinks are ordered and collected through black-ringed portholesDown two steps from the street, they enter into a vertical polycarbonate “tunnel” that curves around to enclose the space on three sides.
A circular light fixture above illuminates the translucent plastic and a singular blue-stone stool placed in the centre of the space.
The Yoozoo logo is affixed to the polycarbonate shell”Here, customers are invited to interact with the space, not only selecting their preferred boba tea flavours, but also capturing moments of joy and excitement with friends or loved ones against the backdrop of the vibrant interior,” said Worc Studio.
Two black-ringed portholes, one to the left and the other to the right, are used for placing and collecting drink orders.
MYT+GLVDK creates industrial-style restaurant in Mexico City
The Yoozoo team prepares the drinks in the U-shaped space around the central tunnel, where counters and shelves wrap the perimeter.
“The station behind the tunnel is designed to be efficient, with a streamlined counter and all the kitchen equipment,” Worc Studio said.
The tiny space is illuminated by a circular light fixture aboveTall windows in the street facade offer glimpses into the preparation zone, but digital menu boards and decorative wrought-iron railings obscure most of the view.
This ironwork is repeated in a contemporary style for the window frame and mullions above the door, and the Yoozoo logo which appears both inside and out.
The minimalist interior contrasts the building’s colonial-style exteriorMexico City has its fair share of fun and unusual dining and drinking spaces, including a recently completed fast-casual restaurant where exposed concrete walls are covered in wavy green metal mesh.
The bubble tea concept also lends itself to playful interiors, as seen at a London cafe where tiers of cork seating are arranged around brightly coloured tables.
The photography is courtesy of Worc.
Read more: More
Mexico City studio MYT+GLVDK has designed a concept store in the south of the Mexican capital, featuring a staircase with both concave and convex portions beneath a vaulted ceiling.
Uncommon Ground is a high-end fashion and accessories boutique situated in the Artz Pedregal shopping mall, close to the city’s southern periphery.
The Uncommon Ground boutique is divided into a main floor and a mezzanine level at the backMYT+GLVDK, led by Andrés Mier y Terán and Regina Galvanduque, was commissioned to design the architecture, furnishings and interiors for the store that carries brands including Courrèges, Maison Kitsuné, Ami Paris, Officine Générale and Moscot.
“The hallmark of Uncommon Ground is to display the latest tendencies in clothing and accessories based on a dedicated edition of trends and themes that capture the air du temps of the season,” said Mier y Terán and Galvanduque.
The two levels are connected by a double-conical staircaseThe duo decided to create multiple display areas across the 246-square-metre main floor and a 40-square-metre mezzanine at the back.
These two levels are connected by a circular staircase with concentric treads that splay outward in a semi-circle on its lower half and are set inward like an amphitheatre on the top half.
A vaulted ceiling comprising tubes wrapped in recycled cowhide arches over the spaceBeneath the mezzanine, the conical form of the upper steps is expressed as bands of brushed brass, which are reflected in golden mirrored panels across the adjoining wall and low ceiling.
More semi-circular steps below form a display for shoes within this back room, where other garments are hung in niches on either side.
Beneath the mezzanine, the staircase is expressed as a series of brushed-brass bands above a stepped shoe displayThe main floor, where the ceiling is double-height, is covered by a vaulted ceiling made up of ribbed elements wrapped in recycled cowhide.
In the centre of the space, a structural column and diagonal beam are incorporated “a focal point that continues with the rhythm of geometric shapes and lends character to the overall concept” according to the designers.
MYT+GLVDK completes eclectic food court Cocina Abierta in Mexico City
A colour scheme of yellow, beige and terracotta is applied across the architectural elements and the furniture, which is also designed in cylindrical and arc shapes.
“The use of clean lines, tubular segments and curves can be seen in every direction as an organic sequence of impressive visual strength,” said MYT+GLVDK.
Furniture throughout the store is designed in cylindrical and arc shapesThe lighting scheme includes a series of light boxes placed within display niches on both levels, to highlight the products, as well as track and spotlights that give the entire store a warm glow.
The Uncommon Ground logo is illuminated vertically on the central column and horizontally above the fully glazed storefront.
The boutique is located inside the Artz Pedregal shopping mall in the south of Mexico CityAlso in Artz Pedregal, MYT+GLVDK previously designed the Cocina Abierta food court that takes cues from Japanese and Mexican design traditions.
Elsewhere in the city, the studio recently completed the interiors of fast-casual restaurant Órale Milanga, where exposed concrete walls are covered in wavy green metal mesh.
The photography is by Alfonso de Béjar.
Read more: More
Local studio PGM Arquitectura has completed a series of garden suites on top of the podium of the St Regis hotel skyscraper in Mexico City, originally designed by Argentine-American architect César Pelli.
Hotel chain St Regis brought on PGM Arquitectura to refresh the interiors of the skyscraper in Reforma, one of the city’s central business districts. The studio had previously carried out designs for the hotel’s restaurant.
PGM Arquitectura has completed terrace suites on a César Pelli-designed hotelThe 150-metre-tall César Pelli-designed skyscraper was completed in 2008 but the team at St Regis found that its interiors had become dated. The hotel wanted to update them to keep pace with the growing tourist industry in the city.
The skyscraper has a fourth-floor podium, after which the glass-clad spiral structure steps back and continues its climb toward the sky.
The fourth floor now houses a large suite and several smaller ones with jacuzzisPGM Arquitectura founder Patricio García Muriel told Dezeen that this was the best place to demonstrate the potential of the hotel’s interiors, which the studio plans to completely revamp in the next few years.
“There was a rooftop on the fourth floor, which was horrible,” he said. “Those rooms on the fourth floor were the worst in the hotel.”
Steel pergolas provide shadeThe studio transformed the eight suites on that level, turning the rooftop into garden terraces for guests.
The largest suite, the two-bedroom Caroline Astor Garden Terrace Suite, now wraps around nearly a quarter of the building and comes complete with an elevated infinity pool.
Before construction commenced, PGM Arquitectura had to carry out a full structural analysis to determine that the terrace could hold the massive pool without altering the exterior of the iconic Mexico City tower.
Carlos Matos references Mexico’s “profound transformations” in secluded retreat
“It’s a very solid building,” said García Muriel. “It has sustained through all the major earthquakes in Mexico.”
All of the suites include pergola and privacy screens made from stacked pale-coloured bricks to shield guests from onlookers in the surrounding tall buildings, especially on the side facing the denser areas of Reforma.
The other side has terraces that are “much more open”, according to García Muriel.
The Yabu Pushelberg interiors were left relatively unchangedInside the suites, PGM Arquitectura stuck mostly with the scheme used for the original interiors by Canadian studio Yabu Pushelberg, keeping the lilac and white hues of the walls.
However, the studio swapped out the carpet that had lined most of the floors – a move it plans on continuing for the rest of the hotel. Details in the rooms and throughout the PGM Arquitectura-designed spaces were informed by the Mexican landscape, with tactile surfaces, gold finishes and colourful wall hangings.
Details were informed by Mexican landscapesThe terrace serve to create a kind of “oasis” in the bustling city, García Muriel said.
“You can get away from the city, with it still being there,” he said. “You’re in the city surrounded by buildings, but you’re in an outside protected area with a lot of privacy.”
Pelli’s studio Pelli Clarke & Partners recently completed a similarly shaped skyscraper in the southern part of the city, which is now the tallest skyscraper in Mexico City.
The photography is courtesy of St Regis Mexico City.
Read more: More
Mexico City studio MYT+GLVDK has designed a fast-casual restaurant where exposed concrete walls are covered in wavy green metal mesh.
The office led by Andrés Mier y Terán and Regina Galvanduque completed both the architectural and graphic identities for Órale Milanga, located in the city’s upscale Polanco neighbourhood.
The Órale Milanga restaurant is designed to have a relaxed atmosphere, which is channelled through both its interiors and brandingThe restaurant celebrates the “comforting and beloved” dish, the Milanese – which many countries claim to have birthed – in a new concept by Venezuelan chef Jorge Udelman.
“Órale Milanga proposes a fast casual concept that invites you on a journey through Milanese, the main character of a single-item menu that honours different culinary traditions with a variety of ingredients and preparations,” said MYT+GLVDK.
Olive green accents are a common theme, found in metal-mesh wall panels and seating upholsteryFor the interiors, the multidisciplinary studio overlaid the original exposed concrete walls with panels of wavy, olive-green mesh within metal frames in the same hue.
Mirrors also fill a row of the wall-mounted frames, creating the impression of more space for the narrow footprint.
Tubular-steel stools accompany the pale wood bar counterSimilar framework forms a tall, open shelving unit on the other side of the restaurant, partially concealing a green staircase that leads up to additional seating on a mezzanine level.
“The presence of the green tones, as well as the wood and ironwork accents, evoke the classic neighbourhood cafes and bars in Milan,” the studio said.
A green metal framework forms an open shelving system that partially conceals a staircasePale wood shelves display Órale Milanga’s branded products that include take-out boxes, mugs, canned goods and glass water bottles.
Diners are encouraged to eat at either formica-topped tables or a pale wood bar counter, both of which keep the atmosphere in the space light and bright.
MYT+GLVDK completes eclectic food court Cocina Abierta in Mexico City
Modernist-style tubular steel chairs have seats and cylindrical backs wrapped in beige and olive leather, matching the built-in seating.
Warm LED lighting is emitted from glass diffusers, linked in pairs on curved brass rods that attach to the metal frames.
The restaurant’s graphic identity features chunky typography, which is applied to signage and branded paraphernaliaThe restaurant’s laid-back spirit is reflected in its graphic identity, which features yellow and green tones “that communicate the naturalness and joy of the atmosphere… as well as the ingredients used in the kitchen” according to MYT+GLVDK.
Along with bold colours and chunky typography, the branding also features an illustrated group of characters and expressive lines.
“The branding proposal confirms Órale Milanga as a democratic, open and unpretentious space, where enjoying and sharing are the only premises,” the studio said.
Órale Milanga is located in Mexico City’s Polanco neighbourhoodMier y Terán and Galvanduque founded their studio in the Mexican capital in 2015, offering architecture, industrial design and branding concepts and execution.
The team has previously completed a food court inside a Mexico City shopping mall with elements that take cues from Japanese and Mexican design traditions.
The photography is courtesy of MYT+GLVDK and Órale Milanga.
Read more: More
This wooden pavilion set among lush gardens forms a retail space in Mexico City for fragrance brand Xinú, designed by its founders Esrawe + Cadena.
The Xinú Marsella space occupies a former car mechanic’s workshop in the city’s Juarez neighborhood that has been transformed into an oasis of greenery.
Esrawe + Cadena built the Xinú boutique within an industrial courtyard transformed into a verdant gardenIt was built to provide a multi-sensory experience for customers of perfume and home scent brand Xinú, which designers Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena founded in 2016.
Both had a hand in creating the retail space, which is intended to reinvigorate the leftover industrial space and provide an enjoyable spot to visit.
The single-storey pavilion is built almost entirely from laminated tornillo wood”The design approach started with the idea of gifting a garden to the neighbourhood, ingeniously giving life to a vacant space by harmoniously blending a holistic experience that integrates the seductive power of nature, with design and architecture,” said the design team.
Visitors approach the space via an unassuming metal gateway on the street, passing through a tunnel with many potted plants on either side before emerging into the courtyard.
Its radial construction emanates from a central columnA flagstone path guides this journey to and around a circular single-storey pavilion built almost entirely from laminated tornillo wood.
Its radial construction revolves around a large central pillar, from which structural beams emanate to support tongue-and-groove ceiling panels.
Vertical louvres around the perimeter support shelves and vitrines displaying various itemsThe pavilion sits on a steel frame atop a system of red grandis wood beams, while a pine lattice above the ceiling supports a plywood board roof.
Around the perimeter are a series of vertical louvres that provide anchors for shelves and vitrines displaying a variety of items.
Products on view include Xinú’s fragrances, candles and other olfactory-related piecesGlass panels fill most of the gaps between the louvres, except the two that are left for the wooden doors.
At night, a ring of track lighting illuminates the displays that range from Xinú perfumes and candles, to olfactory-stimulating natural items, small plants and botanical drawings.
The boutique is designed to offer Xinú customers a “a powerful authentic brand narrative””This thoughtful arrangement allows the periphery to fully embrace the botanical realm, correlating scents, candles, incense and home products with the vivid tapestry of the landscape,” the team said.
“Supported by a powerful authentic brand narrative, the pavilion unfolds as a contemplative journey, a multi-sensory approach inviting guests to explore a universe crafted by simplicity and the fragrant symphony of nature as well as Xinú’s unique products and scents.”
Mexican design and architecture undergoing a “renaissance” says Héctor Esrawe
Xinú launched during Design Week Mexico in 2016, when the brand’s stacked-hemisphere reusable bottles – also designed by Esrawe Studio and Cadena & Asociados – were unveiled.
Esrawe is one of Mexico’s most prolific contemporary designers, and in a recent interview with Dezeen, said that Mexican design and architecture is undergoing a “renaissance”.
The courtyard is accessed from the street via a metal gate and reached by following a flagstone pathHis studio’s recent projects include the Albor Hotel in San Miguel de Allende where planes of green tile are suspended from the lobby ceiling and an apartment in Mexico City anchored by a cruciform cabinet.
Cadena frequently collaborates on projects with Esrawe, offering art direction, concept design and brand identity.
Track lighting inside the pavilion and uplights in the plants create an atmospheric setting at nightOther projects the two studios have completed together include Grupo Arca’s showroom and cultural centre in Guadalajara and the Tierra Garat cafe in Polanco, Mexico City.
The photography is by Alejandro Ramírez.
Project credits:
Concept and experience: Esrawe + CadenaArchitecture, interior design, furniture: Esrawe StudioDisplay and artwork design: Cadena ConceptsDesign team: Heisei Carmona, Nuria Martin, Laura Vela, Ángel Durán, Raúl Araiza, Rodrigo Romero, Pablo ÁvilaVisualisations: Yair UgarteScale models: Alejandro Uribe, David DíazWood: MicmacStructure: Sergio LópezInstallations: JLC RemodelacionesLandscaping: Arturo FloresLighting: Lighteam
Read more: More
