A Handcrafted Apartment in Mexico City By L'Aviva Home

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Laura Aviva collaborates with artisan workshops in Latin America to create L’Aviva Home’s lighting, textiles, and furniture. She approaches traditional craft as a springboard for sophisticated, entirely new designs and loves getting her collaborators to apply their skills in undreamed of ways.

Her pieces land in impressive settings that are featured on the company website. But what kind of rooms does Laura herself envision them in? Based in NYC, she recently bought an apartment in Mexico City to officially declare CDMX her home away from home. And she transformed her new flat into both living quarters and a showcase for what she and her team does.

“Normally, we design products to shine in a range of contexts,” Laura tells us. “With this space, we flipped our creative process and designed a Platonic ideal of where we would like them to live and how we would like to live with them.” Join us for a tour.

Photography courtesy of L’Aviva Home (@lavivahome). laura aviva of l'aviva home in her cdmx apt/showroom. maureen m. evans photo. 17 Above: Laura’s apartment is in a 1950s tile-covered modernist building in La Condesa, which she describes as “one of the most architecturally interesting and creative neighborhoods in the city.” The entry is at the center of two halls, one leading to the kitchen/living area and the other to three bedrooms—that’s essentially the original setup, but the resemblance ends there. Laura rejiggered the floor plan (the kitchen, for instance, had been a library) and reconsidered every element—take a look at the Before shots below.

“A goal of the project was to shine a light on all of the artisans involved and to create a space that feels considered and crafted by hand,” says Laura. She worked with architect Gilda Valencia of Colectivo A on the transformation—”Gilda was a dream collaborator: she oversaw the project as a whole and the construction—because of seismic considerations, we needed structural engineers, too. Gilda made it all happen.” Photograph by Maureen M. Evans.

the small kitchen now sits at the heart of the apartment divided from the livin 18 — Above: The small kitchen now sits at the heart of the apartment divided from the living room by a mesquite screen carved by Isaac Castañeda, a third-generation woodworker in his twenties from Guanajuato who Laura was introduced to by a friend. Wanting a space that was partially open, Laura was inspired by screens and latticework in Mexican churches and Barragán’s architecture— “they’re used as a way of creating divisions and filtering light.” Photograph by Fabian Martinez.

all of the built ins, including the kitchen cabinets of stained parota, were ma 19 — Above: All of the built-ins, including the kitchen cabinets of stained parota, were made by local carpenter Anastacio Ramírez . The counter is Porcelanato, porcelain panels that looks like stone —Laura had hoped to use a local stone but says this ended up being a better solution: “it takes heat, doesn’t stain, it’s a dream.” Photograph by Fabian Martinez.

&#8\2\20;there were some things i had my heart set on and people humored me 20 — Above: “There were some things I had my heart set on and people humored me,” says Laura of the custom-cut hexagonal slate floor tiles made by a local stoneworker. Next to nothing in the apartment is off the rack: even most of the dishware on the open shelves are one-offs created for the space by L’Aviva Home artisans. Photograph by Maureen M. Evans.

after isaac castañeda made the kitchen screen and companion shutters for h 21 — Above: After Isaac Castañeda made the kitchen screen and companion shutters for her bedroom, Laura enlisted him to fabricate the large oval dining tabletop; it rests on a travertine base made by the same master stoneworker who cut the hexagonal slate tiles. The Lava Woven Chairs are Habitación 116’s formal take on traditional Mexican seating. In place of straw, they’re finished with durable paper cord of recycled paper that comes in a range of shades: Laura’s choice of deep pink was a departure for her—she’s color shy and typically works in neutrals.

The pendant lights are L’Aviva Home’s blown glass Tobalá Pendants made in Oaxaca.The collage was a commission made for the apartment by Laura’s friend Maddalena Forcella of Madda Studio, which specializes in naturally dyed textiles and rugs. As for the pine floor, it’s original to the apartment—”it was that orangey yellow that pine gets over time,” says Laura. “I wanted it to feel earthy, so we tried staining it then realized we had to bleach it and start again. It took several tries to get the color right.” Photograph by Fabian Martinez