Mexkisito Industrial & decaying. Maria Barrero by Francisco Segarra

Mexkisito, located in Calle de recoletos,11 is a craving place that comes directly from the heart of Mexico to Madrid. Innovative gastronomy and cocktails that transmits all the flavour and originality of the Mexican kitchen in one space, this is the result of the collaboration between Francisco Segarra and the interior decorator Maria Barrero.

Maria designer by conviction and desire, a very observing person, an essential requirement to generate a good concept and shape it, she qualifies herself as an Observer of the daily life.

Her taste for the mix of styles and creation of spaces with soul, capable of telling a story and transmit emotions. Her love for the details even her fixation with the textures, always heading to a relaxed luxury, with noble materials, knowing how to handle the lighting to generate different environments and to differentiate them in the same spaces, this has favoured the collaboration with Francisco Segarra style.

Mexkisito

Business partners Hanna, Jorge and Adriana, fixed its attention in the decayed industrial style of Francisco Segarra, for the decoration of its new business, since they didn’t want the ¨typical¨ Mexican restaurant.

Their own life experiences and a process of investigation done by Maria Barrero about the decorative style of Mexico in the 40s and 50s, when the country oscillated between the modern and traditional, the national and international style, the arrival of the forefronts and the reminder of a revolutionary and industrial context, contributed to the success of the project of Mexkisito.

¨ for me it wasn’t all unknown due to all those years travelling to that extraordinary and exciting country, that’s how I started to visualize the project.

In my memories from that time in Mexico, my mind recorded images of colonial architecture and Porphyria from the Roman colony, with its eclectic buildings, taking elements from each era to make the constructions, Belle Époque, Art nouveau, Art deco and of course the neo-colonial. From its interior spaces I remember beautiful objects, mixing French style furniture and modern, from my visits to the homes of Frida and Diego and of course, to the south of the Federal district, the house museum of Dolores Olmedo, one of the most beautiful I’ve seen, where the popular artisans and pre-Hispanic mixes with the forefront furniture from the Eames, creating an elegant  and actual atmosphere inside a XVI century building, with an art collection unique in the world, and lets not talk about the turkeys and pedigree dogs ¨Xoloitzcuintle¨ (hairless Aztec dog) in the spectacular garden, perfectly cared for in the exterior¨.

The idea of the FS interior design project is based in taking this eclectic style to the local decoration, recreating one of those colonial Mexican houses, to mix the old and new, the Mexican artisan objects with the industrial, the decaying and classic.

 Walls and roof

The first thing that was done was to uncover the space we had with a demolition, and that way personality was given to the project.

After verifying  that the walls had bricks showing behind the walls  in almost the whole place , we decided to uncover only one the walls that we considered more interesting due to the mix of wood beams and steel and gave the place a style between industrial and vintage.

The walls were painted in a light green colour, I wanted a colour that transmitted serenity and clarity and at the same time a colour that had something to do with Mexico, colour yellow, blue, red and pink will come to my head reminding me to the buildings in different towns in Mexico  but in the end the inspiration was those used in the flag. In addition they have to have that lived aspect that it was needed to go with the roof of elegant and classic lines, we found decorative paper with a prominence in white tones with geometric drawings, this was finished with interior trims and central rosettes to decorate the crystal lamps ¨Lirio¨ from Francisco Segarra vintage furniture in green tone, lavender and purple

Floors

The eclectic  combination is always permanent in the project, it’s also reflected in the floors of the restaurant by the welded union designed by Francisco Segarra in collaboration with Peronda group and pine wood recuperated from an old building, that strained in different shapes depending of the space, giving that aged look that required.

The ceramic pieces from the FS collection by Peronda, rescued the original character of the old ceramics incorporating a used wear so realistic that has turned the collection in an reference in vintage floors. The pieces of Artisan Deco from blue tones were made in ex profeso for Mexkisito in an original green tone that contributed to that traditional end elegant style.

The Bar

One of the key pieces for this project was its bar, giving an industrial and masculine look so it can be integrated in the place. We wanted it to have different colours and manufacture it with industrial materials. Starting from this idea a bar was made from tubes and metal elbows and it was painted like the Mexican flag. The leather stools combined with decorative tacks from Francisco Segarra furniture catalogue, adjusting perfectly to the masculine aesthetics of the bar.

For the design of the back of the bar, Maria inspired in a classic piece of furniture. It was made in aged black steel, combining the bar with its most industrial aspect. Then classic furniture fittings were added and aged mirrors, flirting with the great living room furniture.

Furniture

The furniture in the living room was divided in two zones, made in white tones metals and the characteristic effect of decayed scouring from the Francisco Segarra firm, where we find the low broker stool and the Magna table and in another zone a more sophisticated long bench with French style in red velvet with lacquered black legs combined with the tables with a more Joana classic style painted in black and aged, in the shops of Francisco Segarra furniture. Finally the Alanis chairs were added in its black metal version and dark wood.

Illumination

The eclectic illumination of the premise, has a mix of different styles that conjugate very well with the decoration and the space available.

The Lirio lamps in crystal, placed in group that combine with different colours and sizes, give a great aspect to a great lamp.

In the wall metallic wall fittings Megan with its magnifying glass give that FS industrial style that was looked for, over the bar top, great golden lamps of one or three gadea light bulbs with frosted transparent glass and a retro environment that helps to balance the space.

In the hallway there is a hanging spider lamp from the XIX century found in an antique shop to give a home like feel to it, in combination with an old Jielde luminaire placed over the plates dispenser, an exclusive piece distributed by the Francisco Segarra projects and acquired in a street market in Paris.

The bathrooms

The kitchen and bathroom doors were made in black painted iron and aged, they were designed with the same style like they were the doors of the same room.

For the symbols in the bathrooms a metal box with glass top was devised where old objects were placed with pictures of the grandparents of one of the owners, like a ¨curiosity cabinet¨.

In search of elegant bathrooms and without losing the style of the rest of the place, white tiles was used combined with the birds and flower motives of vintage painted wallpaper of FS, that are incorporated to its beautiful design with a shrivelled finish. The floor has platelets damero type and all together concludes with a metallic industrial sink and the industrial style of the mirror and lamp.

The decoration

To give personality and originality to the restaurant some decorative elements from Mexico was brought from Mexico, old masks carved in wood, old ribbons to decorate the hallway walls, mud skulls made by Joaquin Balbuena, that were placed in the back of the bar.

The Facade

The façade changed its appearance thanks to the design of metallic gates inspired in an old Mexican ranch and painted in a green tone so it can be integrated with the interior.

Corporate Identity

The implication of Maria Barrero in this interior design project, remains dominant in the brand identity where the goal had to be an element easily to associate with Mexico that at the same time transmitted elegance.

¨The small miracles always attracted us¨ with its different shapes, bright colours and that by only looking at it you know It has to do with Mexico. We wanted an element that reminded us of the origin of that idea, then we placed a glass bell with a ¨Miracle¨ inside to make a symbol of the heart of the venue.

Mexkisito evokes its corporate identity to the Mexican culture and crafts, old practices, the heart with flames and the shining rays pleas  for spiritual harmony or a lost love or in miracles, amulets, miniature objects in metal that along with a prayer its offered as a gift to the saints or to the virgin Mary, showing the hope to recover what was lost, representing health and love.

The menu

Mexkisito, opened its doors in Madrid to turn into a referent icon the traditional gastronomy and cocktails of Mexican forefronts.

It proposes a creative and daring kitchen where authentic Mexican ingredients with the local products mix, the traditional and contemporary are fusion, giving a rich flavoured mix and textures that will surprise the visitor´s pallets. In the menu you can find small traditional Mexican cravings, unique creative dishes like the tuna tartar or the lobster tacos and the design of the desserts like the Opera, tres leches or the Mexkisito chocolate cake with a touch of spicy pepper.

In the bar you can enjoy a variety of cocktails from the firm of the house based on mezcal and tequila, or you can try our selection of premium tequila and mezcal tastings. Mexkisito is a place with Mexican heart with a touch of exquisite.

The collaboration

The union of talents and experiences always adds up, for Maria Barrero has been a pleasure to work with Francisco Segarra and for Francisco Segarra has been a pleasure to work with Maria Barrero. Both working hand to hand have captured in Mexkisito the style of decayed industrial style that the client requested.