Mexico City Contemporary and Modernist Designs Inspired by the Rich Legacies of Mexico and Latin America
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NEW YORK | MEXICO CITY CONTEMPORARY AND MODERNIST DESIGNS INSPIRED BY THE RICH LEGACIES OF MEXICO AND LATIN AMERICA OUR STORY We started Luteca in 2015, to specialize in contemporary and modernist furniture, inspired by the rich legacies of Mexico and Latin America. Since then, it has established itself as the first high-end Mexican design company. Offering a unique collection with an international perspective, our aim is to be part of a global design scene, yet remain local at the same time. We have the pleasure of working with the families and foundations that hold the legacy to some of the most important Twentieth century design masters. Their incredible pieces as relevant now as the day they were first produced. Additionally, through chance introductions and discoveries, we are fortunate to work with a handful of the brightest talents, influenced by Mexico’s rich architectural history and wealth of natural materials. The constant appreciation between past and present, and the quality of skilled workmanship are at the core of Luteca’s foundation. The value of different cultures, warmth of diversity and unexpected mix of influences is what we are uniquely about. Amanda & Sebastian Reant EQUIPAL SERIES Designed by PEDRO RAMÍREZ VÁZQUEZ Legend says that Hueman, the Aztec shaman taught the ‘equipalera’ technique of the Gods to the early settlers. Moctezuma, the last Aztec ruler, is famed for having one especially made. Today equipales link the mythical past to a modern cultural icon and Pedro Ramírez Vázquez’s mathematically brilliant 1960’s version. Originally made for the Mexican embassy in NY, it was never designed to be a production series chair. Even with modern manufacturing, this is a complex chair to produce that is comprised of many individually hand-bent components. Through careful development, we now also produce a commercial grade version for hospitality use. PRV Equipal Table | Equipal Chair CORTE SERIES Designed by PEDRO RAMÍREZ VÁZQUEZ In 1962, Pedro Ramírez Vázquez’s architectural design for the “Estadio Azteca” broke ground to be completed in time for the 1968 Olympic Games. The Mexican Cultural Olympic Committee invited American sculptor, Alexander Calder to produce a monumental stabile outside the iconic stadium. “The Red Sun” was his tallest creation ever and a friendship between the architect and sculptor was born. The coffee tables that Ramírez Vázquez designed during this period are simplistic in their design yet technically innovative in their construction. They are the result of a beautiful meeting of minds. PRV ˆ Hexagonal | Aspa ˇ ˆ Radial Paloma | Nanagona ˇ ORGANIC SERIES Designed by MICHAEL VAN BEUREN In 1941, Michael van Beuren, along with his partners of the time, Morley Webb and Klaus Grabe, were invited to participate in MoMA’s “Organic Design” competition in New York City. They entered two pieces for Latin America and won with their forward-thinking Alacrán Chaise that had two reclining seating positions. Originally made in Primavera wood, we now offer it along with its sister design, the San Miguel Lounge Chair, in a choice of woods and either custom leather strapping or weather-proof Nylon webbing for outdoor. Alacrán Chaise | San Miguel Lounge Chair DOMUS SERIES Designed by MICHAEL VAN BEUREN After deciding to permanently settle in Mexico, Michael van Beuren invited his brother Freddie, an engineer, to join him there. Together they opened the doors to the Domus van Beuren factory in 1942. It became one of the biggest opportunities for employment in the city and the benchmark for high-end furniture production in the region. As a foreigner, Michael van Beuren viewed Mexican culture through unprejudiced eyes and was able to understand the context as well as leverage it in his favor. He saw the beauty of skilled techniques and brilliantly injected tenets of local craftsmanship into his modern designs. Line Lounge Chair ˆ Woven Nightstands | Woven Credenza ˇ SAN MIGUELITO SERIES Designed by MICHAEL VAN BEUREN Having trained at the Bauhaus School in Germany, Michael van Beuren’s objective was to bring well made, mass produced furniture to the Mexican market. Working with what was available to him, which consisted largely of local wood species and palm, he created the San Miguelito Series. Each piece could be easily replicated for mass production and was then expertly assembled. Painted seat ribs and the addition of palm cord made use of Mexican materials and local labor to endow his furniture with a more universal style that distinguished the taste and interests of an emerging middle class. Luteca now offers leather wrapped ribs, yet the construction remains identical to the original designs, even down to using the nephew of one of the original factory weavers to wrap the palm cord. ˆ Arm Chair | Dining Chair ˇ ˆ Bar Stool | Counter Stool ˇ BUTAQUE SERIES Designed by CLARA PORSET Cuban born Clara Porset was a woman in a man’s world. Strong willed and eager to be recognized, she worked closely with Luis Barragán designing some of the most iconic modern Mexican furniture of the 20th century. Josef and Anni Albers introduced Porset to Michael van Beuren who went on to produce many of her furniture designs. She is most famed for her reimagination of the classic Latin American Butaque chair and her many versions of it. Despite others laying claim to its reinterpretations, Porset’s designs for Luis Barragán are by far the most well-known and are what we base our pieces on. PRV Butaque Chair | CP003 Coffee Table EUGENIO SERIES Designed by LUTECA STUDIO Little is known about Eugenio Escudero, a Spanish Civil War refugee that started a furniture company and showroom in Mexico in the 40’s. His mid-century style had a particularly organic, even sculptural aesthetic. Having stumbled upon some beautiful vintage chairs designed for a property in Sonora, our studio created our now best-selling Eugenio dining chair. This series beautifully exemplifies the international perspective that is so important to our company. It feels familiar and yet you can’t quite put your finger on where it came from; a global style that works with many different aesthetics. PRV ˆ Ero Dining Table | Limantour Bar Stool ˇ ˆ Eugenio Dining Chair | Torres Dining Table ˇ AUGUSTO SERIES Designed by JORGE ARTURO IBARRA Our Augusto Credenza series is the work of Luteca’s Design Director, Jorge Ibarra. A stunning piece that takes inspiration from the brutalist and beautiful concrete façade of the Biblioteca Central (Central Library) de la Universidad Autonoma de Chapingo, designed by Augusto Álvarez in 1964. The building’s textured concrete panels are represented in the change of material on the door and drawer fronts, which sit elegantly next to custom bronze hardware. True to modern Mexican design and architecture, the mix of materials is a unique element to this piece’s beauty. PRV ˆ Small | Large ˇ Medium ˆ VALLE SERIES Designed by JORGE ARTURO IBARRA During a family trip to El Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California, Jorge found himself sitting, overlooking the cactus littered terrain below. Whilst admiring the view of the spectacular peninsula from the glass box of Encuentro de Guadalupe, he became disappointed that people were too shy to share seating with one another despite there being space. Thus, the Dorcia Daybed was born; a subtly genius solution to a common problem. The design itself takes its form from the architecture of Luis Barragan, specifically the clean lines of La Cuadra de San Cristóbal. PRV Dorcia Daybed | Valle Side Table KIIN SERIES Designed by STUDIO MARTES The most impressive thing about this deceptively simple design is how comfortable it is. Wishing to incorporate locally sourced stone, the KIIN chair - from the word k’iin in Yucatec Maya, which comes from the sun god Ah Kin, is a work of basic geometry that is carefully thought out by its French Mexican creators. Despite its metal frame and stone seat, the subtle 8° inclination of the back, attached to a flexible tube gives its sculptural form a perfect balance of function. PRV Volcanic Stone | Arabescato Marble TULE SERIES Designed by TXT.URE When our friend Regina Pozo, an acclaimed art historian and design curator, discovered one of the last-known surviving artisans of an incredible Mayan weaving technique, she felt compelled to ensure this beautiful art form didn’t go extinct. Txt.ure was set up to identify lost fragments of Mexican design heritage, adapting historical values to create new crafts. Agreeing to support Regina in her endeavors, and beginning with the Tule series, we launched a successful Kickstarter campaign, built a workshop and started training more artisans in this treasured craft. It has become an incredibly special social project that we are deeply moved by. ˆ TXT.01 | TXT.03 ˇ ˆ TXT.04 | TXT.05 ˇ NEW YORK 145 Palisade Street, Suite 360, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522 [email protected] +1.646.510.5244 MEXICO CITY Berlin 37, Col. Juarez, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City 06600 [email protected] +52.(55).5925.7041 WWW.LUTECA.COM | @LUTECAFURNITURE.