Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
In the mountains of Mexico, furniture designer and master weaver Mario Lopez Torres works with locally sourced organic materials to painstakingly craft complex and elegant decorative objects, tables and seating.
Originally from Mexico City, Torres apprenticed for his father, who was a professional photographer, and at 13 years old enrolled in a school for the fine arts, as he had by then become deeply interested in illustration and working with clay. At 20, Torres pursued a dream of designing furniture — specifically, weaving. He traveled to Altepexi, a municipality in Puebla, to learn how its artisans wove works from a wooden vegetable reed that is native to the region.
Torres sought mentorship from the prevalent artists Ana Pellicer and James Metcalf in order to learn how to work with metal, as he would need to create frames of brass and copper that supported his woven structures. Torres traveled to the United States to purchase metalworking equipment and went on to establish his own workshop in a small mountain village back in Mexico.
Torres put his hands and imagination to work — he harvested courses of chuspata, which is a reed that grows abundantly on the shores of Lake Pátzcuaro in Michoacán, and welded frames that the reed is woven around. He sold his first piece of furniture in 1974.
Today, Torres creates works that are characterized by his affinity for nature. His palm floor lamps feature woven rattan — a light and versatile material that can mingle with a wide range of styles — while the lifelike monkeys, birds and other animals that support his tables, table lamps or adorn his mirror frames are crafted from chuspata and take on whimsical poses. They create a playful, provocative presence in any space.
Find Mario Lopez Torres seating, lighting and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Brass, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Organic Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Wicker
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Organic Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Reed
1970s Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Steel
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Metal
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Spanish Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Driftwood
20th Century Italian Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Ceramic
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Lucite
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Silver Plate
20th Century Mexican Arts and Crafts Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Reed
1970s Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Steel
1970s Post-Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Marble
1970s Mexican Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Wicker
1970s Mexican Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Copper, Iron