As a little ode to Cinco de Mayo, in addition to the Spicy Margarita I will be enjoying shortly, I thought it only appropriate to feature one of my favorite interior designers based in Mexico.
Since establishing her Mexico City firm in 2012, Sofía Aspe has quickly soared to one of the top interior designers in Latin America. From residences to ranches, restaurants, hotels, salons and boutiques, the firm has designed projects throughout Mexico, the US, Israel and Spain.
The studio, an all-woman team of 15, has become one of the most revered Interior Design firms in contemporary Mexico with projects published in numerous interior design and architecture magazines in Mexico, Spain, the USA, Germany, and China.
Noted for an eclectic relaxed modern style and spaces filled with character, the firm is renowned for its balanced design that spans throughout various eras and styles yet somehow remains timeless.
With subtle influences that range from bohemian to classic, minimalistic to shabby, modern to luxurious I love that the aesthetic always reflects the environment and focuses on high-quality craftsmanship incorporating some aspect of Mexican culture.
In 2016, the firm received the First Prize for Residential Interior Design of the Architects and Interior Designers Association of Mexico. It was named one of the top ten most influential interior design firms in Mexico by AD Mexico. Design Hunter and Ambientes Magazine called them one of 100 Authorities in Architecture and Interior Design in Mexico and Latin America.
More recently, the firm took on designing the interiors for the Four Seasons Beachfront Casitas East Cape- a part of the stunningly beautiful luxury community Costa Palmas set along the Sea of Cortez in Mexico's Baja Sur.
Taking cues from the desert landscape, they aimed to craft livable spaces speaking to the natural rustic luxury of the area. In an excerpt from an interview with the Costa Palmas East Cape development team, Aspe further elaborates:
What was your approach to using color and texture in the Beachfront Casitas? We wanted to give each home its own palette of colors and textures. While each home has a strong color presence, the general ambiance is one of harmony because each space offers a nice balance of color and monochromatic tones to create a feeling of zen. The result is spaces that are at once warm and inviting while also relaxing and comforting.
For the design of the Beachfront Casitas, were there specific feelings or ideas that you were trying to convey through the interior design? I aim to design spaces that in some way capture the essence of the geography they occupy, but also speak to and relate to that particular time and space.
The landscape on the East Cape and in Costa Palmas is unique because it combines desert with very unique flora and the intense blue Sea of Cortez that laps at a magnificent stretch of beach. We were inspired to incorporate into the interiors certain tones and colors drawn from the sand dunes, the nearby mountains and other desert elements. There’s a kind of balanced performance between the interior life of the home and nature’s spectacular performance found just outside.
For the Beachfront Casitas we had certain priorities that were top of mind. First, we needed the homes to be functional but also designed to withstand the elements that come with a home by the beach. We also wanted the casitas to be exquisitely comfortable while at the same time rooting them in Baja California through the use of aesthetics and craftsmanship that’s entirely Mexican.
For more beautiful interior inspiration, check out her most recent coffee table book, Interior Affairs, Sofía Aspe and the Art of Design, (I just found it in stock on Amazon) showcasing projects she has designed in Mexico City, Merida, Miami, Austin, Madrid, and Vail.
“Interior design is a profession that strides between architecture and decoration. Rebellious by nature, it does not conform to the spatial limits that bound the architectural layout or to the established arrangement of furniture. Interior design tears down walls, invents furniture, and uncovers angles and materials with one sole purpose: to strike a balance among functionality, pleasure, and aesthetics.” - Sofía Aspe