October 17, 2017

Text: Ryan Waddoups

Mexican Artisans Reinterpret Iconic Roche Bobois Chairs

Lucas Castro Jimenez, a Jalisco artisan, works on a Roche Bobois Ava armchair for the brand’s L’Artesanía de Vivir project. Photography by Zony Maya.

Collaboration fuels Roche Bobois. Since 1960, the French purveyor of luxury furnishings has tapped the likes of Kenzo Takada, Jean Nouvel, and Christian LaCroix to reinterpret some of the brand’s most iconic pieces. Now, Roche Bobois is joining forces with the artisans of Mexico to do the same thing. The project, called L’Artesanía de Vivir, invited craftspeople hailing from five Mexican states to customize the Loop, Ava, Florian, and Lully chairs using local aesthetics and techniques—some in danger of extinction. The 32 one-offs, first displayed at Mexico City’s Alcázar del Castillo Chapultepec, journeyed through museums in Chiapas, Zacatecas, and Oaxaca. Next stop? Houston’s Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern—a 2016 Interior Design Best of Year winner—on November 7-8.

A custom Florian armchair at the Frida Kahlo Museum. Photography by Zony Maya.
A custom Ava armchair in Helen Escobedo’s Coatl at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Photography by Zony Maya.
A custom Loop chair at Alberto Kalach’s El Mayor in Mexico City. Photography by Zony Maya.
A custom Florian armchair in Mexico City’s Torre Reforma. Photography by Zony Maya.

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