Local architect Laura Vela Lasagabaster and designer Manu Bañó have used copper as an accent material inside a luxury concept store Colima 162 in Mexico City‘s Roma Norte neighbourhood.
The 210-square-metre Colima 162 boutique is named after its location on Colima Street, inside a large residence built in 1919 during Mexico’s Porfirian era.
Custom copper elements within the Colima 162 boutique include a basin with a mirrored top and vertical panels for displaying individual garments
Lasagabaster and Bañó used the historic bones of the property as the starting point for their design, adding a minimalist contemporary layer around the original features like full-height windows.
“The sequence begins at the access staircase leading to the first level, where a clear and direct concept unfolds: a purist interior design grounded in minimal intervention,” said the duo.
The copper stands out against lime-plaster walls and a bamboo silk carpet
Either side of the entry stair, a series of rooms connected by open doorways form a sequence for customers to explore one after the other.
Each of these spaces features a different, custom hand-hammered recycled copper piece crafted by expert artisans in Santa Clara del Cobre.
A horizontal copper rod splices vertical poles to create a garment rail
The first thing that shoppers encounter is a large circular basin with a flat reflective top, which stands in front of four vertical panels with rods protruding from indents in the material.
In an adjacent space, thin vertical copper poles are spliced by a horizontal bar for hanging garments and anchored by a flat plate for shoes.
A mirrored concave stand is centred in front of a large window
Elsewhere, a concave mirror-polished stand is centred in front of a window, while a series of floating shelves is mounted on a wall.
“Conceived as sculptural objects, they function both as furniture and support elements,” the pair said. “The combination of hammered, brushed, and mirror-polished finishes introduces variations of light and texture throughout the space.”
Esrawe + Cadena house Mexico City fragrance boutique within radial pavilion
The russet-toned material stands out against the beige lime-plaster walls and a tone-matched bamboo silk and wool rug that spans the full floor area.
One room also includes tall mirrored panels, positioned perpendicular to one another to create the illusion of more space.
One room features perpendicular mirrored panels to create the illusion of more space
“Through a purist approach, the intervention takes on a sculptural presence that challenges the conventional language of retail,” said the duo.
“The result is a proposal in which a restrained, contextual material palette and a deliberately neutral interior allow copper to emerge as both the dominant presence and the unifying element of the project.”
The boutique is located on the first floor of a 1919 building in Roma Norte, Mexico City
Bañó frequently collaborates with fellow Mexican designers Hector Esrawe and Age Salajõe as EWE Studio, who together have converted a dance hall into their furniture showroom and created a furniture and homeware collection that features hand-carved green marble and volcanic stone.
Other recently completed boutiques in Mexico City include an “intentionally simple” eyewear store by Calila Studio and a concept space with a double-conical staircase by MYT+GLVDK.
The photography is by Alejandro Ramírez Orozco.
Project credits:
Interior and furniture design: Manuel Bañó, Laura V Lasagabaster
Team: Natán Ayala, Roberto González, David Pfeiffer
Lighting design: S-ombra
Artisans: Raúl Rauda, Pablo Reyes, Humberto Reyes