Is it always relaxing in Mexico? The first time it happened I nearly fell off the bed with the jarring noise coming from outside! Somebody in the small town was driving through the streets early in the morning with a megaphone on top of a small car advertising propane gas. Later the same day someone went by advertising eggs and produce in the same way. This happened over and over as we traveled through Mexico’s small towns. Dogs barking, fireworks exploding, horses galloping, roosters crowing right outside the door. Eventually I began to find ...

  This morning I have been contemplating the many changes we have observed over the past ten years in Mexican style and furniture design. Ten years ago, most of our clients wanted our help to furnish their homes in Mexico using Mexican rustic furniture. I still remember fondly one of our very first clients, a delightful couple with 2 children who had purchased a home in Mexico for 30,000 US. They were planning to vacation there several times a year and rent it the rest of the time. We helped them completely furnish their home at that time...

  I don’t know about you but I truly love outdoor markets. Such a beautiful array of foods, spices, flowers, people, herbs, vegetables and fruits … and the hubbub and pulse of a place and its people. They go by many names: Mercado de artesanias (handicrafts), flea market, farmers markets … I love them all.  In Canada and the US, most of these markets are seasonal, open from early to late summer. In Mexico, most of them are open year-round. Here are a few of our favorite Mexican market experiences. In San Miguel de Allende, on a Satu...

It is easy to get carried away romanticizing the idea of the Mexican furniture artisan.  It is a powerful image to conjure the picture of the craftsman who has apprenticed under his elders, having learning to use the old-world tools and techniques. Now as a journeyman schooled in the authentic rustic, hacienda and other Mexico furniture traditions, the works have great utility, but also please the eye as artisanal works of art.   The truth of the matter? The truth of the matter is that there a lot of truth to this image for many o...

When you travel in Mexico, you come to realize not only that Mexico has many great artisans, but that Mexico overall is an artisan culture. Throughout this great country, you see how a large portion of the population fends for themselves as small businesses. They do this through their enterprise, their ingenuity, and many times above all through their skill and attention to craft.    For me, true craftsmanship is a blend of skill, knowledge and presence in the work. You see this in all kinds of artisanal craft, whether the expertis...

Here’s  a great video which captures wonderfully the inspiration for our Hacienda Furniture Collection. As you watch it, you will feel like you have gone back in time; however, this hacienda is alive and thriving in Mexico, 45 km from Merida by car.  This is unusual, as most of Mexico’s haciendas have now been abandoned and are no longer in operation.  On the early portion of the video you will be able to see the colonial architecture we so love in Mexico, as well as examples of Hacienda furniture pieces, wrought iron a...

Yes, the kitchen is the heart of your Mexican home. Do you remember the beautiful onion slicing scene in the movie “Like Water for Chocolate?” I do. It seems to me that any memories that involve food and kitchens are always more vivid. It makes perfect sense: they are accompanied by flavor, color, textures, aromas all of which makes them more evocative and powerful. Building a great Mexican kitchen When considering your furniture choices in Mexico, do pay close and special attention to your kitchen. Not only is it the heart of your Mexican...

Happy New Year! Yes, 2012 has now officially arrived. With it comes a desire to make a difference, change something, keep it real, perhaps enjoy life more fully. As a “central operations hub” and foundation to our lives, our home is essential in supporting all our endeavors: personal, social, relational, spiritual. Home/hearth is a huge key to our wellbeing. Here, with our best New Year wishes, are 3 ideas to ready your home so it can support you, your health, your work and your dreams during this amazing year. As the year begins, have l...

I was very pleased when I saw the video about Mexico which I will share in a few moments. It includes many great nuggets of information and it is visually lovely. Izamal is one of the “Pueblos Magicos” – magical towns of Mexico. Isn’t that a wonderful thing? To designate towns as magical? I suppose all towns can be, but in Mexico certainly some are more magical than others. As you watch the video, please pay special attention to the quirky unique furniture in some of the rooms. And please remember, we can help you design and build some suc...

Several years ago, my dear friend Peggy took a sabbatical from her job at a college in Oregon. A fine artist, performer and seasoned college administrator, she could have gone to Paris, Florence, Rome, anywhere, really. She chose Mexico. During that year, she painted, she made new friends, she published a book, she practiced her Spanish. The visit, she said, thoroughly and deeply enriched her life. There is something special about San Miguel de Allende. I can even hear it on the telephone when I speak to customers who have purchased vacat...