Home tour: A laid-back office home in Mexico City showcasing local artisanal craftsmanship

Aviva envisions the malleable space to be “part sanctuary [for myself] and part space to host friends and clients, as well as part gallery and showroom, part playground and studio for both our NYC team and our growing Mexico City team to work,” Aviva says.

“I personally adore not having any division between my living and studio space, I find that having everything connected really balances me–it’s a design that connects all the dots,” she continues. 

“Just like our NYC studio, I anticipate this hybrid space becoming a bit of an incubator for our collections, where we get to experiment with what it feels like to live with something in every stage, from development through to the fully realised piece.”

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The elongated unit runs from the southern-facing windows that border on Ámsterdam to the back of the building. 

Defined by a curved wall on one side, the entry area at the midpoint of the apartment opens up to the flanking spaces across the long hall: the front of the apartment on the right comprises the kitchen, and common and living areas, whereas the left leads to three bedrooms.

While essentially a gut renovation that left the place with only the structural walls intact, Aviva’s team kept with the modernist spirit of the building, upgrading the original thin wood slat flooring, and retaining the original layout of the home that plays into the idea for a hybrid pied-à-terre.

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“These two halves can be so gracefully separated or joined,” Aviva elaborates. “The door to the hallway leading to the bedrooms can be closed, and the bedrooms are essentially imperceptible and isolated. Alternatively, with the door open, you have the feeling of being in an integrated living space that is also a gallery.”

“It makes it all very multi-purpose, which is completely in line with our goals for what we wanted this space to be,” she adds.

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With a wall of windows in the common/living area that overlooks the lush pockets in the La Condesa neighbourhood, Aviva invites the outside in and forms a sense of connectivity with the street and community with the use of green in the space–a real departure for the design studio, which traditionally is colour shy, and focuses almost entirely on black and neutrals.

“We made an effort to have the colours feel ‘of a place,’ by incorporating vibrant hues, specifically greens and pinks, in keeping with a traditional Mexican vernacular, while framing them in a way that doesn’t feel obvious or performative,” the interior designer explains.

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The expansive windows also welcome a dynamic interplay of shadow and light which Aviva claims “is especially magical and unique, and shifts constantly throughout the day and from season to season.”

The natural light, in turn and quite literally, shines a light on all of the Mexican-made artisans involved, expressing handcrafted techniques in both the selection of materials and their composition.

While warmth and texture of ceramic, metal, wood and stone are key drivers throughout the space, each with their own unique sense of movement and tactility, the design team endeavoured to use natural materials that are indigenous to Mexico wherever possible.

Almost everything is custom to the space, in keeping with Mexico’s long-standing tradition of creating site-specific installations and furniture through local craftsmanship. 

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Local carpenter Anastacio Ramírez was commissioned to customise the built-ins, while a local master stone worker crafted the bathroom sinks, and the travertine bases for the couch and dining table.

Isaac Castañeda, a young woodworker from Guanajuato who Aviva was introduced to by a friend at the outset of this project, was responsible for all woodwork: the “screen” that envelops the kitchen, a series of seating pieces, and the shutters in the primary bedroom and bath–featuring a recurring circular motif reminiscent of the everyday rhythms of Mexico City life.

Other local artisans involved include Sergio Velasquez, a master coppersmith from Santa Clara de Cobre, and long-time collaborator to L’Aviva Home; and Oaxaca artist Maddalena Forcella, whose artworks of natural dyes and materials are showcased throughout the office-slash-home space. 

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“This project is by far the most personal thing I have ever done. It pulls together into one place the manifestation of my design sensibility as it has developed over the years, and the relationships and the creative partners I–and we as a team–have cultivated over time,” Aviva asserts.

“Just like our collections evolve based on the people we meet and the experiences we have, the space itself will continue to transform as we find new inspiration and meet new people and want to try new things,” she concludes.

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