The founder of an architecture firm in Mexico City, Lorena Vieyra has also become an advocate for modern Mexican design.
Vieyra, who started Vieyra Estudio in 2007, this spring launched OMET, a platform that showcases and sells furniture and design from designers across Mexico and Latin America. Named for Ōmeteōtl, the Aztec god of creation, the site has been such a hit that Vieyra also opened an OMET showroom in Austin, Texas, in October.
“We’re trying to capture what makes us Mexican designers without the clichés of Mexicanity,” Vieyra said from her Mexico City office. “It’s about the environments we grew up in and how we live in those spaces.”
Vieyra talked to Mansion Global about why her clients want more than useless beauty, why open kitchens make a cultural statement, and why quality equals luxury.
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Mansion Global: Do tastes align among your residential clients in Mexico and the U.S.?
Lorena Vieyra: At this end of the market, which is kind of sophisticated, tastes align. People who look for me to do work in the U.S. want something like what I do in Mexico. But there are other challenges. Here in Mexico, we have a lot more freedom. We have access to more people who can do the work, and to materials that can be more expensive elsewhere. A project that seems impossible to do in the U.S., or too expensive, can probably happen here.
MG: Outside of Mexico and Latin America, are there still clichéd ideas of what design looks like from the region? How much educating do you have to do?
LV: Americans and Europeans can have clichéd ideas of what it is, but I also think that in the last few years, there’s been a lot of interest in Mexico and Mexican design. We’ve been part of that education. It’s not just about the touristic arts and crafts. When I started the project, I knew we were ready to produce these kinds of products up to a higher level of sophistication and luxury, but still talk about who we are.
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MG: What have been the best-selling pieces on OMET?
LV: Marble and stone pieces from [Mexico City designer] Raúl de la Cerda have been very popular. The Luna Chaise Longue, which I designed [in leather on a base of volcanic stone], has also been selling well.
MG: Since the pandemic, how have demands changed among clients?
LV: Everyone right now is trying to get the most out of every space in the home. They want the best use of space. Before the pandemic, they didn’t really care if they had a living room that was very formal and wasn’t really used. Now they’re saying, I really want to use it. They still want beautiful and luxurious, but also flexible and comfortable, with furniture they’ll actually use. Before, it was like having an expensive candle and never lighting it.
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MG: Are there furniture brands you consistently use in residential projects?
LV: The big Italian names, like Cassina, Poliform and B&B, along with some Spanish manufacturers. But unique pieces are what really transform the project, so it won’t look like a catalog. It becomes something with personality. Statement pieces are the cherry on the cake.
MG: How much does color play a role in your work?
LV: I love color. It speaks about spaces and emotions, and can change the sense of a space completely. It may be a cultural thing—Latins are definitely more into color, where Northern Europeans tend toward neutrals. In all of my projects, you’ll find splashes of color here and there.
MG: Who or what has influenced your architecture practice?
LV: My family and the way I live influences my work. In my home, we’re very into food and trying new things. That influences my work. There are also many talented architect friends that I spend a lot of time with. They’re inspirational. And of course, big architecture names. [Mexican architect] Luis Barragan’s approach to light is most inspirational for me. The work of [mid-20th-century architect] Francisco Artigas, the most influential modernist Mexican architect, is inspirational. And as a young architect, I was very inspired by Mies Van der Rohe, a purist and modernist architect.
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MG: There’s ongoing debate over whether home kitchens should be open or enclosed. Where do you stand?
LV: I am 100% into open kitchens. Mexico has a culture of closed kitchens, with cooks and servants who work in them. It’s like something from a different century—the kitchen’s closed so the workers can’t overhear conversations from the dining room. I think it’ll eventually disappear. More people are asking for open kitchens. Men are getting into cooking more, and cooking is becoming more social, partly because everyone’s watching the same cooking shows. In my home, my husband cooks much more than I do. People join us on weekends. They come in and out, and we’re cooking. Everything works around what’s happening in the kitchen.
MG: What’s your personal definition of luxury?
LV: Luxury is quality, and it’s materiality.
The interview was edited for length and clarity.
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