Mexico

Subterms

    More stories

    • 150 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      PGM Arquitectura adds garden suites to César Pelli skyscraper in Mexico City

      by

      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

    • 88 Shares179 Views

      in Rooms

      MYT+GLVDK creates industrial-style restaurant in Mexico City

      by

      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

    • 138 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Esrawe + Cadena house Mexico City fragrance boutique within radial pavilion

      by

      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

    • 100 Shares99 Views

      in Rooms

      Ten Mexican holiday homes characterised by earthy hues

      by

      From a brutalist dwelling nestled in a pine forest to a beachy weekend retreat with a rooftop swimming pool, our latest lookbook features 10 holiday homes across Mexico.

      While known for their often vibrant colours, Mexican interiors also include many examples of more muted designs. These earthy hues are often created through the use of natural and local materials, such as wood and stone.
      Holiday homes are located all over the country, which has a varied landscape and is famous for its escapist destinations. Here are 10 Mexican holiday homes that combine pared-back colour palettes with getaway-style luxury.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring metal furniture, breakfast nooks and living spaces with swings.
      Top and above: photos by Rory GardinerCasa Alférez, Alférez, by Ludwig Godefroy

      This holiday home is a brutalist dwelling clad in board-formed concrete and located in a pine forest in the country’s Alférez region.
      French architect Ludwig Godefroy, who is Mexico City-based, added a conversation pit to the cathedral-like living area, which features a spindly double-height fireplace.
      Find out more about Casa Alférez ›
      Photo by LGM StudioHoliday home, San Simón El Alto, by Estudio Atemporal
      Local architecture office Estudio Atemporal designed a weekend retreat in San Simón El Alto village with an oversized gabled roof.
      Inside, the studio created a statement brick wall in the angular, open-plan living space defined by timber and concrete accents. Generous glass doors lead to a covered outdoor patio.
      Find out more about this holiday home ›
      Photo by César BéjarVilla Cava, Tulum, by Espacio 18 Arquitectura
      Neutral tones and textures define this house in Tulum that was informed by cenotes – ancient sunken water-filled limestone pits and caves found across Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.
      Espacio 18 Arquitectura carved a circular window into one of the home’s ceilings, which reveals a rooftop swimming pool. Blue-coloured light filters through the opening, emphasising the cavernous atmosphere.
      Find out more about Villa Cava ›
      Photo by Diego Padilla MagallanesLa Extraviada, Mazunte, by Em-Estudio
      Architecture firm Em-Estudio stepped a pair of concrete residential volumes down a rocky hillside overlooking the coastal town of Mazunte, Oaxaca.
      Called La Extraviada, the holiday home includes an eclectic kitchen and dining space flanked by floor-to-ceiling timber shutters that open onto a terrace with a swimming pool.
      Regional materials, including guapinol wood and local stone obtained from nearby quarries, feature throughout the earthy-hued project.
      Find out more about La Extraviada ›
      Photo by Fabian MartinezCasa Tres Árboles, Valle de Bravo, by Direccion
      Architecture studio Direccion took cues from “monastic” sanctuaries when renovating this weekend retreat in Valle de Bravo.
      The open-plan living space includes exposed warm-toned wooden ceiling beams, which contrast against dark-painted walls. A soft-red sofa adds a rare pop of colour to the otherwise muted interiors.
      Find out more about Casa Tres Árboles ›
      Photo by Rory GardinerLos Terrenos, Monterrey, by Tatiana Bilbao
      Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao added a multifunctional ceramic screen to the interior of Los Terrenos – a holiday home in Monterrey with mirrored glass facades that reflect the surrounding wooded site.
      “[The screen] works as solid and permeable floor, a screen partition, a structural wall, and as a semi-open wall that allows ventilation and sunlight to bathe the interior spaces,” explained Bilbao’s eponymous studio.
      Find out more about Los Terrenos ›
      Photo by AnsatzTonalli House, Jalisco, by Moises Sánchez 
      This stucco-clad holiday home was punctuated with strategic openings and takes cues from architecture commonly found in Mexican villages, according to its designer Moises Sánchez.
      Sánchez created an understated interior palette referencing the nearby architecture surrounding Lake Chapa, where the home is located. For example, the blocky terrazzo staircase doubles as a stepped plinth for sandy-coloured ornaments.
      Find out more about Tonalli House ›
      Photo by César BéjarCasa Areca, Tulum, by CO-LAB Design Office
      Local studio CO-LAB Design Office created Casa Areca to merge with its lush Tulum setting.
      The open-plan ground floor includes pivot doors and retractable glass walls, which enable the social area to flow into the jungle-like garden. Creamy walls and polished concrete floors were paired with local tzalam wood, jute accents and ceramic vases filled with hand-selected wild grasses.
      Find out more about Casa Areca ›
      Photo by Dove DopeEl Aguacate, El Barrial, by Práctica Arquitectura
      El Aguacate – or “The Avocado” – is a holiday home in El Barrial village made almost entirely out of concrete.
      Práctica Arquitectura topped the main living area with a tall pyramidal roof featuring a boxy skylight. The studio added a built-in fireplace and alter-like dining table to the space – also made from smooth concrete.
      Find out more about El Aguacate ›
      Photo by Rafael GamoCasa Cova, Puerto Escondidio, by Anonimous
      When designing Casa Cova in Puerto Escondido, Mexican studio Anonimous took cues from pre-colonial architecture.
      Inside, the central living space is kept cool by a traditional thatched roof made of dried palm leaves, called a “palapa.” Tiny square openings were also cut into some of the walls, creating “a dynamic light pattern from dusk till dawn”.
      Find out more about Casa Cova ›
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring metal furniture, breakfast nooks and living spaces with swings.

      Read more: More

    • 100 Shares99 Views

      in Rooms

      Suspended bridges connect round cabin hotels in Mexico

      by

      Mexican architect María José Gutiérrez has placed a series of round, pine-clad cabins connected by suspended bridges onto a vineyard in Mexico to serve as vacation rentals.

      Located in Valle de Guadalupe, Ensenada on the Baja Peninsula, Zeuhary Hospedaje Campestre includes a community lounge and four vacation rental cabins.
      Top: photo by Martin Acevedo. Above: the cabins are located in Baja California, Mexico. Photo by Jonatan Ruvalcaba Maciel”Beyond creating spaces we aim to create experiences, where nature and human beings integrate and recognize each other,” María José Gutiérrez, who leads Mexican studio Arqos Arquitectura Arte Y Diseño, told Dezeen.
      “The architecture and interior design were focused on connecting with the environment and maintaining harmony with it.”
      Central bedrooms feature in the round buildingsCompleted in June 2022, the 250 square metres (2,690 square feet) of built area is divided into five 40-square metre (430-square foot) structures that look outward to the surrounding wine region.

      The ground floor of each cabin is divided orthogonally, splitting off a portion for a partially covered exterior porch that leads into the sleeping space through a glass sliding door.
      Their interiors are sectioned into bathrooms along one sideThe interiors were sectioned into a bathroom along one side, a central bedroom and a kitchenette tucked behind the headboard wall.
      “In the furniture and interior decoration, we used organic materials from the region and different areas of the country, earth tones and grey contrasts, crafts, natural fibers, textiles, local wood and stone, recognizing Mexican handicraft talent and tradition,” the studio said.
      “The chukum finish on the interior walls gives an organic texture and helps keep the interiors cool in summer, while the exterior coating of recycled pine wood allows the cabins to be thermally insulated in both winter and summer for greater energy efficiency.”
      Small private gardens feature round jacuzzisThe cabins are all rotated to face a particular northern or eastern view without compromising privacy for the occupants.
      A small planted garden protected by a grey wall rings a quarter of each plan, terminated by a private in-ground jacuzzi, connected to the cabin by a wooden deck with planks that align with the vertical cladding boards as if the facade radiates down the wall and along the ground.
      Rooftop terraces are included atop each cabinUp a delicate metal spiral staircase with wooden treads, the round plan becomes a rooftop terrace complete with a rope net set into the roof of the porch like an integrated hammock.
      A free-swinging wooden bridge with rope netting guard rails is suspended from the roof of each cabin and leads to the roof of the common area, allowing guests to congregate in a central location.

      Dezeen’s top 10 cabins of 2023

      “The circular floor plan of the cabins, together with their transition spaces such as the hanging bridges, wooden paths and spiral staircases generate fluid and dynamic routes which allow us to reconnect with ourselves and awaken our inner child through play and movement,” the studio said.
      In addition to the material selection that responds thermally to the environment, the design works to preserve what little water the agricultural region has, reusing grey water for the irrigation of the vineyards.
      Zeuhary Hospedaje Campestre is positioned within a vineyardOther cabins recently completed in Mexico include a house deconstructed and separated for glamping within a forest in Nuevo León by S-AR and a brutalist cube-shaped holiday home tucked into a pine forest in Alférez by Ludwig Godefroy.
      The photography is by Jonatan Ruvalcaba Maciel unless otherwise stated. 
      Project credits:
      Architect: María José GutiérrezEngineering and construction: Specialized Urban Services

      Read more: More

    • 138 Shares109 Views

      in Rooms

      Bunkhouse and Reurbano convert 1940s Mexico City apartments into boutique hotel

      by

      American hotel brand Bunkhouse and interior design studio Reurbano have used motifs derived from the history of a Mexico City structure when converting it into a boutique hotel.

      Hotel San Fernando is located in the Condesa neighbourhood of Mexico City, a largely residential zone that in recent years has seen an influx of national and international travellers.
      Bunkhouse and Reurbano have converted a 1940s apartment building into a boutique hotel in Mexico CityBunkhouse worked with local interior design studio Reurbano to take a 1940s apartment building and convert it into a 19-room hotel, with finishes informed by the neighbourhood.
      The face of the structure was restored and painted a light green, with darker green used on the awnings that provide coverage for seating attached to the hotel’s lobby and restaurant, which open to the street through glass-paned French doors.
      It features renovated spaces that maintain details of the original structureAn art deco-style logo spells out the name of the hotel above the door. Saint Fernando is known as the patron saint of engineers, and the team wanted to highlight this by maintaining the name of the original building in the branding of the new structure.

      “We wanted to honour this building,” said Bunkhouse senior vice president of design Tenaya Hills.
      “We love the story and the history and like to imagine what it has been for people over the decades.”
      A spiral staircase leads from the lobby to the rooftopThis primary entrance features a metal door with glass panes informed by the original stained glass of the building.
      The entry corridor leads past a lobby lounge, with lighting by Oaxaca studio Oaxifornia and furnishings by local gallery Originario; and design studios Daniel Y Catalina, and La Metropolitana, which also created custom furniture for all of the guest suites.
      At the far end of the lobby lounge is the restaurant’s bar, which features a large semi-circular cabinet with mirrored back to hold the spirits. A chandelier by local sculptor Rebeca Cors hangs above the clay-clad bar.
      French doors feature at the entrance and on some of the roomsThe entrance corridor has green encaustic concrete tiles from the original building. Other original details include the wainscotting and casement windows.
      A reception area is located at the end of the corridor and behind it is a circular staircase with metal-and-wood railing that leads all the way up through the building, with landings on each of its five floors, terminating at a terrace on top of the building.

      Hybrid and Palma include organic elements within brutalist Mexican hotel

      The guest rooms range from single-room setups to multi-room suites, the largest of which are accessed through French doors with opaque windows.
      Here the studio departed from the greens used on the exterior and the lobby and utilised soft orange, pink and white paints.
      Light colours and hand-crafted goods fill the roomsFloors in the rooms are either tile or wood and furniture made from light-coloured wood is covered by locally derived textiles. Three rooms on the rooftop level feature furniture designed by Bunkhouse and fabricated by local design outfit B Collective Studio.
      Pendant lamps and sconces by local ceramicist Anfora are found in the kitchens and bathrooms.
      The rooftop features sculptural breeze blocksThe rooftop features a tiled dining and lounge area surrounded by sculptural breeze blocks, designed to mimic the original building’s patterned stained glass.
      Mexican design studios Mexa and Comité de Proyectos contributed furniture pieces for the rooftop.
      Other hotels in Mexico include a tile-clad structure in San Miguel de Allende by Productora and Esrawe Studio and a hotel in Mexico City with wooden lattices by PPAA.
      The photography is by Chad Wadsworth. 

      Read more: More

    • 113 Shares109 Views

      in Rooms

      RA! clads Mexico City taco restaurant with broken tiles

      by

      Local architecture studio RA! took cues from Latin American art deco design when creating the tiny interior of Los Alexis, a small taqueria in Mexico City’s Roma Norte neighbourhood.

      Los Alexis is a taco eatery – or taqueria – in Roma, a famed district in Mexico City, which features examples of art deco architecture.
      Los Alexis is a small taqueriaRA! drew on the “vibrant personality” of the area when designing the single 15-square-metre room restaurant, housed within a former beer depository.
      “One of the most important requests of our client was for this tiny space to shine among the rest of the retail premises on the street,” said studio co-founder and designer Pedro Ramírez de Aguilar.
      RA! clad the floors and walls in a mosaic of broken tilesRA! clad the walls and floors in a distinctive mosaic of broken ceramic tiles with green joints as an ode to Barcelona, where chef Alexis Ayala spent time training, the designer told Dezeen.

      A curved bar finished in slabs of ribbed green material fronts the open kitchen, which is positioned on the right of the small open space.
      Utilitarian materials were selected for their resilienceUtilitarian materials, including the tiles, were chosen throughout the restaurant for their “endurance and fast cleaning processes”.
      White-painted steel breakfast-style stools line the bar, which has a bartop made of steel – selected for its resistance to grease, according to Ramírez de Aguilar.

      Canadian surf town informs design for taco restaurant by September

      The studio decided to preserve the space’s original, peeling ceiling “to create a wider contrast [within the eatery] and to remember the old premises”.
      Informal seating lines the pavement just outside of the taqueria where customers can eat and socialise.
      The one-room eatery is defined by its bar and open kitchenOther than a small bathroom at the back of Los Alexis, the one-room restaurant is purposefully defined by its bar and open kitchen.
      “Typical ‘changarros’ [small shops] in Mexico City are all about the conversation with the cookers, so we tried to have this interaction between people as a main objective,” explained Ramírez de Aguilar.
      Founded in 2017, RA! previously created the interiors for a restaurant in the city’s Polanco neighbourhood with a bar counter shaped like an inverted ziggurat.
      DOT Coffee Station is another hole-in-the-wall cafe in Kyiv, Ukraine, which YOD Group designed with a similar floor-to-ceiling mosaic of tiles.
      The photography is courtesy of RA!

      Read more: More

    • 125 Shares139 Views

      in Rooms

      Tara Bernerd fills Maroma hotel in Mexico with artisanal elements

      by

      Interior designer Tara Bernerd worked with local artisans when dressing the cavernous rooms at the Maroma hotel in Riviera Maya, Mexico, which were renovated to reflect hacienda-style living.

      Housed within white stucco volumes arranged on a coastal plot between lush jungle and the Caribbean sea, the longstanding Belmond hotel was renovated earlier this year but retained much of its traditional-style architecture.
      The Maroma hotel is housed within rounded stucco, palapa-topped volumesBernerd and a team of local artisans conceived the eclectic interiors to reflect the palapa-topped structures, creating a range of bespoke curved furniture and ornaments.
      “The buildings themselves are organic in shape and form and were originally positioned in response to the sacred Mayan geometry,” she told Dezeen.
      “We sought to retain and enhance the beauty of the hotel’s original character.”

      Tara Bernerd sought to reflect this “Mayan geometry” in the interior designAmong the custom pieces are over 700,000 tiles hand-painted and crafted by ceramicist José Noé Suro using clay from Mexico’s Jalisco region.
      The tiles cover the floors in all of the 72 guest rooms, which are characterised by rattan wardrobes and amorphous timber furniture pieces – 80 per cent of which were hand-carved.
      The guest rooms are characterised by rattan accents and blown glassArtisan Max Kublailan blew bulbous glass sconce lights, which feature throughout the rooms and are reminiscent of glowing gemstones.
      “We built up the layers of design within the spaces, with rich pops of colour being brought in through the tiled or mosaic floors, the use of decorative tiles in the walls and dado rail as well as cushions and fabrics,” explained Bernerd.
      An open kitchen clad in glazed ceramic tiles features in one restaurantMaroma’s two restaurants follow a similar design, with accents such as rattan pendant lights and tables featuring textured legs that give the appearance of tree trunks.
      An open kitchen clad entirely in caramel-hued glazed ceramic tiles was tucked into a corner of the Woodend eatery while Casa Mayor includes clusters of hand-painted plant pots.
      The other restaurant includes painted potted plants and oversized rattan lampshadesThroughout the hotel, cavernous alcoves were also dressed with custom interiors made up of stone, clay, wood and natural fibres.
      “Location and layout were key and I am especially proud of how we have managed to reimagine previously under-utilised areas and have created a balance between unique, dramatic spaces and cosier, slightly hidden areas,” said Bernerd.

      Estudio Macías Peredo stylises Mayan architecture for Punta Caliza boutique hotel

      Traditional Yucatán doors with dense timber frames and chandeliers made from clusters of seashells were chosen to respond to Maroma’s setting.
      The hotel’s central swimming pool was renovated with Sukabumi turquoise tiles handmade from volcanic stone to emulate the cenotes – water-filled sinkholes formed by the collapse of limestone – found in the Yucatán Peninsula.
      Cavernous corridors reflect the hotel’s architecture”In essence, we wanted to create something that was effortlessly serene and had the feeling of a chic home,” said the designer.
      “So we also drew inspiration from traditional hacienda-style living to create a relaxed, almost residential vibe throughout the resort and evoke a sense of connection, unity and flow between all of the public area buildings,” she concluded.
      The central swimming pool was informed by cenotesThe British designer is the founder of the London-based architecture and interiors office Tara Bernerd & Partners.
      Elsewhere in Mexico, local firms Productora and Esrawe Studio designed a San Miguel de Allende hotel with planes of green tile. Architect Alberto Kalach added a series of vaulted, brick arches to a resort in Oaxaca.
      The photography is courtesy of Belmond. 

      Read more: More