INTERVIEW WITH HÉCTOR ESRAWE

he became Design Director at CENTRO Study House, where he created the Industrial Design Degree. However, it was in 2003 that Héctor decided to launch his multidisciplinary design practice, Esrawe Studio, which is considered to be one of the top references of design in the world. “My vision is mostly related to creativity, I didn want to put a line between all of the fields that I m attracted to. I managed my way to work with different professionals and be able to create a philosophy of collaboration that allowed me to explore all of these fields that I was attracted to as a designer” he explained. From furniture, object, and interiors, to architecture, public space installation, and museography, this is a multidisciplinary studio that loves to create anything related to the design. The studio is composed of a team of highly experienced industrial designers, architects, production technicians, and graphic designers who make sure that each one of the projects in hand is optimally crafted from conceptualization to the finishing details. The studio s creative essence is present throughout the entire process; a process perfected every day to offer new innovative concepts. What has changed through the years was the beginning of the designer s creative process for every project. What started out as a chapter the team only focused on the client s requests has shifted to a completely different methodology where context and narrative take the lead part.

“ I don ’ t jump immediately in creating a solution, first I do research and diagnostic processes to create the narrative of the project before I take a pencil. So it has evolved in a different direction, we work in small projects (such as the Candle of Xinú) or we work in big designs such as the Arca showroom in Guadalajara, but both of them have the same initial approach in the methodology applied in different scales and timelines ” said Héctor Esrawe.

Passion, boldness, and narrative are the three concepts that defined a project created by Héctor. He explained to us that his best work not only features a deep process of understanding the concept but also introduces a new meaning of design into the world inspired by his extremely rich and profound understanding of the Mexican culture, like his first big architectural piece with 6000sqm called Grupo Arca Design Center Guadalajara.

Instead of creating a classic showroom, the design team from Esrawe Studio built a cultural space that not only has the standard trade business but is also more connected to the community, since it can also be used for exhibitions, lectures, and conferences. The question for this project was: “ What if we open our doors to the architects and creatives of the area and invite them to a space that can be used for exhibitions ? We are still selling materials, but you also have a positive impact on that area ” Arca is a place linked to the culture that has a different approach that breaks all of the paradigms of what that trade space should be.

There is no doubt that the modern design concept has been changing throughout the past few years, especially with the pandemic that we just passed, but not all things were bad. Héctor explained that “ we became unconscious of basic things that now have our full attention, so I think it is a process of coming back to the basics that are the use of natural air, natural light, and understanding the impact that we have on nature. ” He believes that as a society we learned to appreciate the smaller thing that was undervalued before, however, this care for natural things was something that Héctor always kept present in his creations since the beginning of his career.

“ We have worked for many, many years (before the pandemic), in a sustainable, contextual process with local natural sources ” , explained Héctor. The Mexican designer is currently working on a small hotel near Tulum that only features three rooms, turning it into one of the most exciting projects that he is working on at this moment. The studio breaths of dedication, passion, and persistence, focusing on fine details and quality, always pushing boundaries, and taking on new challenges. All in all the success of the studio for Héctor relied on “ blurring the line between the disciplines that allowed me to work with artists and design fields that can be translated into art, but I can ’ t describe myself as being an artist, I m a designer ” . According to him, there aren ’ t any magic formulas to success in the design world, he believes that it all starts with being “ conscious, rigorous, and understand the impact that our profession can have in transforming a negative aspect into a positive thing for the world ”

Cullman & Kravis is known for providing the highest quality of design excellence and personal service since 1984. e rm collaborates closely with clients to realise their aesthetic ideas and practical needs while adhering to their established budgets. While elegance and practicality are C&K s rst objective, their utmost pride comes from the fact that every home they design re ects the personality of the owner, making no two projects the same. We had the pleasure to speak with Ellie Cullman and the C&K team so stay tuned and discover all the little details that make Cullman & Kravis a worldwide reference when it comes to interior design.

When asked about her journey in the design world, Ellie Cullman was prompt: “I have always had a passion for art and design. Shortly a er I got married, I spent two years living in Japan. In Japan, in addition to learning the complex and layered language, I studied ower arranging. is ancient tradition is completely analogous to interior design, but a microcosm of the choices we make every day in our work regarding color, proportion and harmony. I have o en said that spending two hours arranging seven chrysanthemums honed my aesthetic sensibilities” . en we moved on to how the rm started, something we were very curious. “My friend and co-founder, the late Hedi Kravis, and I used to love going to our friend s homes and doing a little redecorating! When a friend of ours said he would like to hire us to decorate his apartment, we realised that it was something we could actually do” she told us. “In the forty years since the founding of Cullman & Kravis, collaboration and the sharing of ideas has always been at the heart of our culture. No project is a one-man (or in our all-female rm a one-woman) job. Every team member values the opinions of their peers and none of us could imagine