Design
Peca- a Mexican furniture design studio
RIMA Credenza made from solid walnut wood. The wooden slats are repeated to form a texture that “embraces” the oval base.
Image courtesy of: 1st Dibs
We love Peca, the Mexican design studio that was founded by head designer and studio director Caterina Moretti. Peca does a fabulous job of collaborating with both artisans and well-known designers; the pieces that they produce tell a story filled with a number of traditions and handiwork known in Mexico. While this might allude to a classic design, what comes forth is actually furniture with a contemporary look.
Moretti ensures that no detail is overlooked and that items deemed “too small” are in fact fully explored and researched. In such, the items result in (courtesy of Plain), “innovative and well thought-out objects that bring together texture, form and materiality in one cohesive package.”
Petra Table made from volcanic rock.
Image courtesy of: Peca
The Guadalajara-based design studio was founded in 2007 when Moretti realized that she could use her way of using natural materials to explore and educate textures and forms. As a result, she was able to bring the outside… indoors. The unexpected results culminated in a number of initial pieces for a cohesive collection.
In reality, what began as a fascination in raw materials turned into a company that reinvents those organic elements into sophisticated pieces. The numerous possibilities that lie within raw materials inspires Moretti to create new designs. Furthermore, her passion for textures and contrast (courtesy of peca), “has translated into a range of objects that infuse the organic and subtle with an original point of view, always provoking a contemplative twist.”
Craftsmen working on the UMO Roca Fire Pit, by hand.
Image courtesy of: Peca
The UMO Roca Fire Pit is a perfect example of how Moretti uses raw materials in contemporary settings. The design merges volcanic rock, marble, and metal to create an outdoor fire pit that is both functional and space-enhancing. Expertly, the large block of volcanic rock is transformed by hand. Expert craftspeople use a chisel and a hammer to create a unified design… creating “symmetry, balance, function and form.”
The recycled, transparent glass produces a greenish-bluish hue that allows the dowel construction and hollow center to be seen.
Image courtesy of: Dezeen, photographed by: Pablo Fernandez del Valle
A couple of years ago, peca debuted the Loto Collection. Personally designed by Moretti, the collection consists of rounded tables and footstools made from light wooden cylinder shapes with varying widths and heights. All the pieces are joined together by wooden dowels and connected together in a circular shape.
The tables present a wooden, fluted edging throughout; each table is topped with recycled glass. The glass is made in nearby Tlaquepaque from salvaged clear window panes. At this location, many Peca pieces are made using traditional techniques. Courtesy of Dezeen, “We rescued the artisanal technique of fusion glass where several layers of salvaged window panes are fused and melted in a mould inside the kiln and, in the places where heat begins to combine, beautiful organic bubbles are created and unpredictable textures are born.”
From the Loto Collection. Benches with a black-tinted oakwood base and upholstered in different colors of velvet: amber and green. Poufs with a black-tinted oakwood base and upholstered in long-hair sheep wool. Handwoven in San Juan Chamula Chiapas.
Image courtesy of: Wallpaper
In addition to their collections, Peca also fulfills commissions. Late last year for example, Peca was invited to the second annual Salon Cosa, a contemporary objects art fair that exhibits work by Mexican artists and designers. For the fair, Peca exclusively commissioned a few pieces. In 2021, the Guadalajara fair presented 13 local artists and Peca’s items were an instant hit!
