Get a flavour of modernist Mexico City at this new showroom
Virtually tour VIDIVIXI’s new Mexico City showroom, and explore locally-made designs
With travel restricted for the foreseeable future, the idea of journeying to the vibrant flavour and sensuality of Mexico City in person is all but a distant fantasy right now. Adding to that fantasy is the newly unveiled showroom space from the design firm VIDIVIXI, which had initially been scheduled to open in March. While it will only be able to welcome visitors in person once lockdown measures are eased, VIDIVIXI – which takes its name from ‘I saw, I’ve lived’ in Latin – has still decided to forge ahead and share the cinematic environment that its created, even if only virtually for now.
VIDIVIXI, which was originally established in Brooklyn by designer Mark Grattan in 2014, has has been a Mexico City-based operation since he moved there in 2016. Together with studio partner Adam Caplowe, who manages the studio while Grattan serves as creative director, the company’s output has risen to new levels of sophistication with its new physical space and accompanying showroom collection.
Remodelling an artist’s studio
Located in Colonia San Rafael, directly opposite the abandoned Cine Opera that was built in 1949, VIDIVIXI’s open plan one-room vision has been divided into a series of three chambers. Because it had been previously used as an artist’s studio before it came into Grattan and Caplowe’s hands, a large amount of renovation had to be done to reflect VIDIVIXI’s ethos, which celebrates contemporary living in its pastiche of design styles that brings classic, vintage and modern all nearly together as one.
‘We remodelled all the walls [and tore] up the floor, which we then finished with micro-concrete,’ says Caplowe. ‘The windows were small and had prison-style bars attached when we first arrived, so we removed them and installed new custom window frames to make the best use of the light.’
‘We wanted to create a warm, saturated feel to the room, which we achieved with the palette choice and materials used,’ Grattan explains. ‘From the tatami-style mats to the Noren-style curtains, there is an Asian theme running through the space, which compliments the forms of the new collection. We feel [that] this, coupled with modernist and art deco overtones, creates a truly unique experience of the space.’
Group showcase at VIDIVIXI
To complete the picture further, Grattan invited artists and designers, all friends from former eras of his life, to contribute pieces to the showroom’s dream-like installation. Selected for their compatibility with VIDIVIXI’s own stylistic signature of bold, curvaceous forms that are typically realised in glass, chrome and leather, the additions include a richly saturated panoramic painting by Kristen Giorgi that hangs next to VIDIVIXI’s dining table topped with an elliptical glass pane.
Elsewhere a geometric table lamp with a rectangular paper shade by Adam Otlewski sits elegantly atop a low VIDIVIXI side table, while a graphic configuration of custom-designed mirrors by Bower Studios brings a Barragan-like quality to the space.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
‘As we knew we were going to be presenting our collection in a new space, we had obvious gaps which we wanted to fill, such as wall space and lighting,’ Grattan explains. ‘Instead of sourcing props or loaning work, we decided why not make it a group show and include some of our friends. We reached out to a select group who’s work we really respect and asked if they would be interested in creating new work for the show.’
In total, VIDIVIXI’s new showroom collection is impressively comprised of the credenza, a sofa, a club chair, a figure four side table, and reworking of its signature bed (this time wrapped in green and black velvet upholstery) and coffee table.
Locally-made products
The space also features a custom-designed curved table lamp - a single orb sitting on a serpentine axis - by Farrah Sit, which was manufactured locally, alongside Bower Studios’ pieces, bringing yet another layer of cultural dialogue.
‘[The showroom] cements us literally into the landscape of Mexico, which is very important to us,’ Caplowe concludes. ‘It has also opened us up to possibilities of collaboration and using our new space as a design hub for exchange between the US and Mexico.’
INFORMATION
Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
-
Turkish Airlines reveals its flowy new Crystal Business Class cabins
Luxury is in the air as Turkish Airlines pulls back the curtain on its anticipated new Crystal Business Class cabins
By Lauren Ho Published
-
Soviet brutalist architecture: beyond the genre's striking image
Soviet brutalist architecture offers eye-catching imagery; we delve into the genre’s daring concepts and look beyond its buildings’ photogenic richness
By Edwin Heathcote Published
-
What makes a ‘winter perfume’? The Wallpaper* guide to fragrances that linger on the skin and in the air
The Wallpaper* guide to winter perfume has been compiled by our beauty editor Hannah Tindle, including scents from the likes of Bottega Veneta, Frederic Malle and Marissa Zappas
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Last chance to see: nomadic design gallery Masa honours Ana Mendieta in Oaxaca
Masa showcases five of Ana Mendieta’s filmworks alongside five artists’ installations on the site of the first medical clinic in Oaxaca, Mexico
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Guadalajara design festival celebrates local creative talent
Salón Cosa takes over the brutalist spaces of Guadalajara's Edificio Rosales for a showcase of the best local creative talent and a celebration of craftsmanship (27 – 31 October 2021)
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
Beyond bathrooms: VitrA opens new showroom in London
Recently opened in Clerkenwell, VitrA’s two-storey London flagship promises to be more multi-sensory bathroom social than a conventional show space
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
Mexico City exhibition embraces architecture, art and design
Nomadic design gallery Masa presents ‘The Last Tenant’, an exhibition of art and design pieces curated by Mario García Torres and set against the backdrop of a modernist villa in Mexico City
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
Set in stone: Salvatori opens Dutch flagship with Piet Boon
Salvatori throws open the doors to its first Dutch flagship, inside Piet Boon’s Amsterdam Headquarters
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Last updated
-
In LA, Molteni Group embraces midcentury modern heritage
Inside the new West Hollywood flagship, Molteni&C | Dada creative director Vincent Van Duysen creates an architectural transatlantic aura
By Sujata Burman Last updated
-
Inside Casa do Passadiço’s dynamic new interior boutique in Lisbon
By Sujata Burman Last updated
-
New Shoreditch store celebrates the physical experience of design
Through Instagram, industry contacts and their Hackney locale, co-founders Emma and Jade Shone-Sanders offer a crafted design edit
By Sujata Burman Last updated