Dezeen Magazine

Vidivixi showroom

Vidivixi turns "messy artist's studio" into Mexico City furniture showroom

Design studio Vidivixi has teamed its furniture collection with works by US artists and designers to create a series of moody sets in its Mexico City showroom.

Vidivixi, which is led by American designer Mark Grattan and British studio manager Adam Caplowe, transformed a "messy artist's studio" in the Colonia San Rafael neighbourhood to create its first showroom.

Vidivixi showroom

Grattan acted as a "matchmaker" to find suitable designs that would complement the studio's furniture collection, which it describes as a "reflection on warm voluminous forms and bold graphic contours".

Vidivixi showroom

Furniture from the 2020 collection is used to form different home-like setups across the showroom with complementary designs and artworks.

For example, an abstract painting by Atlanta artist Kristen Giorgi picks up the shapes and hues of Vidivixi's pale leather, tubular Club Chair placed in front.

Vidivixi showroom

Two versions of the sofa are arranged around the Cafe Con Leche, a table with an American walnut base and a mirrored top that reflects Giorgi's artwork.

Tatami mats with thick black lines pick up on the black leather piping that wraps one of the sofas and the dyed-black oak trim on the Switch sideboard.

Vidivixi showroom

The credenza has an undyed leather body and is topped with table lamp by New York furniture and lighting designer Adam Otlewski.

Walls are painted a dark hue while natural light filters in through a series of sheer curtains, a reference to traditional Japanese fabric dividers known as Noren, that hang from bronze rails in front of gridded black windows.

Vidivixi showroom

In another space is the Docked en Rio bed, which has a green and black velvet that wraps the bedframe, paired with the black Figure of 8 Side Table, named after its interlocking base.

The table, which has a glass top, is complemented by an S-shaped light by Brooklyn designer Farrah Sit.

Vidivixi showroom

Vidivixi also collaborated with Brooklyn design practice Bower Studios to create two mirrors that take cues from Mexico City's Luis Barragán. Shaped like large fork ends, each is topped with three prongs that are detailed to give the illusion of depth – a recurring feature of Bower Studios' work.

The mirrors adorn a wall in a space dedicated to the dyed oak dining table called Vivien's.

Vidivixi showroom

As part of the project, Vidivixi worked with both Sit and Bower Studios to produce their pieces in Mexico City.

"Through its showroom collaboration, Vidivixi is organically manoeuvring itself in ways we had not predicted; we now help designers from the states move their production to Mexico City, allowing for learning and expansion on both sides," said the studio.

Vidivixi showroom

Vidivixi is named after the Latin phrase vidi vixi that translates as "I saw, I've lived".

Grattan founded Vidivixi in New York in 2014. He met his partner Caplowe when he moved to Mexico City in 2016 to produce work free from financial stresses. The studio's previous collections include designs influenced by Japanese furniture and saddlebags.

Photography is by Pia Riverola.