A collection of furniture by famed Mexican architects and designers under the Omet label was showcased in a modernist house in Mexico City during the city's art week.
The home was used to show the fourth collection by gallery Omet, an outfit led by architect Lorena Vieyra, whose Austin, Texas, outpost promotes Mexican design in the United States.
For Mexico City art week, Omet took over the house, using it not just as a backdrop but, according to Vieyra, an essential part of the show.
"The project came to life from a shared desire to give something back to architecture – by activating a house with an extraordinary legacy and opening it to the public in a meaningful way," said Vieyra. "This building was not chosen as a backdrop, but as a protagonist."
The house was designed by modernist architect Francisco Artigas and was once the home of Mexican president Adolfo Ruiz Cortines. It now serves as a showroom for furniture distributor Piacere.
Sited in the Jardines de Pedregal neighbourhood, masterplanned by architect Luis Barragán, the house has a long bar over a pool, subterranean passageways and internal courtyards and glass walls that punctuate the house as it stacks away from the pool.
It was restored two years ago by local architects Mauricio Gómez de Tuddo and Juan Pablo Wolffer.
"Francisco Artigas’ architecture carries a clarity and generosity that feels incredibly current," said Vieyra.
The majority of the furniture was showcased in the large, open room that overlooks the pool and extensive backyard.
Set on the smooth marble stone of the restored house are prominent works by architects Tatiana Bilbao, Fernanda Canales and Vieyra herself.
Bilbao's contributions included a series of pyramidal stools clad in multi-coloured fabric alongside pieces similar in style, but rendered in rich woods, with one featuring stripped marquetry.
This wooden aesthetic was repeated in the Sepan Cuántos console, which had striped spheres and pyramids stacked to form legs. It was accented with a large semisphere on top of the surface.
Canales' contribution also features diverse materials across several pieces – the most prominent being a wooden desk with a louvred shell accompanied by a chair with interlocking geometric forms. The desk is called Guarida, which in Spanish means a lair or a den, evoking shelter.
She also contributed a high-gloss stainless steel nesting table with three tiers, as well as a series of side tables and stools with movable stacked wooden elements.
Following on the theme of mixed material, Vieyra contributed a chaise lounge, with its leather bed draped over massive marble columns, buttressed by a steel frame.
Designer Raúl de la Cerda departed from his usual monolithic stone pieces, creating an elegant wooden bar with a travertine top.
Felipe Gómez and Dyad created the patterned textile, while several walls were adorned with geometric artwork by Ricardo Rendón.
Other design showcases during the busy week included a rug-sofa combo by Sabine Marcelis and a collection of lighting made from discarded shells by Studio Davidpompa.
The photography is by Lazarillo.
Omet at Casa Locken is on show from 4 to 14 February, by appointment. For more showcases, talks, and installations in architecture and design visit Dezeen Events Guide.