Some of the hottest design trends right now are coming out of Mexico, where both new and “vintage” designs are capturing the imaginations not just of decorators, but of museum curators and galleries in America and Europe. Plenty of attention will be devoted to designers like Arturo Pani, Luis Barragan, Don Shoemaker, and others at the Design Miami/Basel fair (the fair inspired by Art Basel Miami Beach, in Miami this year from December 1-5).
Pani, who some call the “high priest” of Acapulco Design of the ‘50s, is best known for the furniture he designed for the chic Hotel Reforma in Mexico City, created (not coincidentally) by his architect brother, Mario. Refined but incredibly ornate, Pani’s furniture seems to share little in common with the designs of Barragan, an architect who also created furniture for several of his clients’ homes (and his own); profoundly influenced by LeCorbusier. Barragan is the quintessential minimalist.
Juan O’Gorman (yes, he really was Mexican; his father was Irish-born) created spectacular tile murals, but his early, functionalist architectural design got a jump-start when he designed the home of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in the early 1930s.
And then there is Pedro Friedeberg, the wacky, surrealist designer whose crazy “hand chairs” (shaped like a cupped hand) and wildly colorful clocks he described as “criticizing the absurdity of things.”
Some of the hottest design dealers in New York are also currently planning exhibitions focused, too, on sustainability in contemporary Mexican design – a trend other designers around the world are also picking up, but which integrates particularly well with Mexican design tradition. Maybe that explains the growing popularity of Mexican design right now – at least in part; or maybe it’s the fun colors and happy warmth, especially welcome in grim economic times. But from the look of things, Mexican style is definitely the place to be looking now for new ideas and inspiration.
Other hot trends to watch for now:
Anti-WiFi paint: created by a lab in Tokyo, this paint, made with aluminum-iron oxide, can absorb high-frequency radio waves, like the ones used for WiFi.
Sustainability, of course: look for furnishings and floors made of cork, bamboo, and even paper.
So-called “hybrid furniture,” like a carpet-covered sideboard recently featured at the London Design Festival.
Then again, that’s not unlike what Pedro Friedeberg’s been doing all along…which brings us back again to Mexico – obviously what design is about right now.
It‘s quite in here! Why not leave a response?