“Querétaro Histórico” was inspired by a map from 1759, created by José María Pantoja y Penña. This map, which is now housed at the Regional Museum in the former Convent of San Francisco, represents the 152 blocks that once formed Querétaro. This design takes the first two blocks of the city, which to date are preserved as at that time and uses colors marked by history.
Quéretaro Histórico was made with tibetan hand knotted New Zealand wool
300 x 200cm
Ahead of showing Weaving Design Stories at ZONA MACO 2019 (February 6 – 10, 2019) we spoke to each of the participating designers and studios to tell us more about their designs and the ideas behind them.
Carlos Torre Hütt is a Mexican architect, designer and museographer. He is the creative director of Espacios and Casa Gutiérrez Nájera. In addition to contributing a rug design to Weaving Design Stories Carlos and his team at Casa Gutiérrez Nájera designed the exhibition at the Museo Regional de Querétaro and the The Weaving Design Stories booth at ZONA MACO 2019.
Please can you tell us about background and your studio?
I studied architecture in Mexico City, after graduating in 1997 I moved to Querétaro where opened an office dedicated to design and architecture, Espacios. We began designing private houses and interiors locally and have since gone on to work on projects of all different sizes across Mexico. Today I work in a number of fields from architecture and design to art direction and museography. In 2011 we opened the gallery Casa Gutiérrez Nájera in Querétaro’s historic center. CGN actively promotes design in the region and has become a well known platform in Mexico.
What type of projects do you typically work on?
We multitask! As I mentioned we work across several disciplines from exhibition design to interiors to architecture. We don’t really have a house style – we aim for quality in everything we do but the aesthetics change from project to project.
Please can you explain your approach to the Weaving Design Stories brief?
I took inspiration from the city of Querétaro and its role in the history of Mexico. “Querétaro Histórico” references a map from 1759 drawn by José María Pantoja y Peña. This map, which is now housed at the Regional Museum in the former Convent of San Francisco, represents the 152 blocks that once formed Querétaro. The design takes the first two blocks of the city, which to date are preserved as at that time and uses colors marked by history.
What is the main connection of your design to the silk route?
Old cities and the people that have lived in them.
What were some of the key decisions in creating your design?
The colors. I wanted to take something ancient and make it contemporary.
What was the most surprising thing about the project?
So many things, but I think the most important ones for me was the people and the companies involved. I learned a lot from this project both in terms of history and design.
What aspects of the final rug are you happiest with?
The quality of the manufacturing and the hand made process.
