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.
Mario Lopez Torres Midcentury Wicker Toucan Wall Sconce Signed 1974 Mexico
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in St. Louis, MO
Mario Lopez Torres whimsical wicker Toucan with brass beak wall sconce light. Retains brass medallion on inside : signed Mario Lopez Torres, Tzumindi, Hecho en Mexico, 1974. Includes...
Brass
$3,039 / set
H 10.63 in W 8.67 in D 5.91 in
Pair of Midcentury Woven Wicker Weave & Rattan Wall Sconces, Italy 1960
Located in Barcelona, ES
Pair of Italian Mid-century Modern Wall Sconces, Rattan, Wicker ____________________________________________________________________________ Pair of half cylinder wall lights with wi...
Rattan, Wicker
$3,022Sale Price|44% Off
H 80 in W 48 in D 48 in
RARE Mid-century Sculptural Rattan Palm Tree floor Lamp, Mario Torres Lopez
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Original late 1960s life-size six-foot-tall palm tree floor lamp sculpted from stick rattan and wicker with removable leaves and 3 coconut-shaped lights attributed to Mario Lopez Tor...
Rattan
$2,075
H 78.75 in W 34.26 in D 19.69 in
Tall Rattan and Bamboo Palmier Sconce in the style of Mario Lopez Torres
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Pair of Coconut Palm Bamboo Wall Lights in the Style of Mario Lopez Torres Sourced from Paris, France by Martyn Lawrence Bullard Available as a single sconce, or as a set of two for ...
Bamboo, Rattan
$3,342
H 33.47 in W 21.66 in D 23.63 in
Bamboo Palm Tree Table Lamp in the Style of Mario Lopez Torres with Two Lights
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in London, GB
A bamboo palm tree table lamp in the style of Mario Lopez Torres with two coconut lights under the leaves.
Bamboo
Mario Lopez Torres Monkey Floor Lamp
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Hastings, GB
A quite exceptional floor lamp by the highly acclaimed Mexican artist and sculptor Mario Lopez Torres, the enormous metal frame and chuspata woven design stands at over 1.8 Metres ta...
Metal
Signed Maison Bagues wall sconces
By Maison Baguès
Located in Munich, DE
Beautiful Maison Bagues style wall sconces. Signed!
Metal
Parrot Floor Lamp By Mario Lopez Torres
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Miami, FL
Parrot Floor lamp by Mario Lopez Torres
Rattan
Monumental Mario Lopez Torres Woven Crane Table Lamp
Located in North Fort Myers, FL
An absolutely iconic monumental table lamp by celebrated Mexican artisan Mario Lopez Torres, featuring his signature handwoven chuspata reed craftsmanship in the form of a sculptural...
Seagrass
$812
H 31.11 in Dm 25.6 in
Pencil reed rattan bamboo palm tree coconut table lamp, Mario Lopez Torres style
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Zaandam, NL
Lovely coconut palm tree large ( 79 cm high ) table lamp in te style of Mario Lopez Torres. The leaves are modular so can be placed in any position desired. This lamp originally came...
Rattan
Stilnovo Signed Mid Century Wall Sconce
By Stilnovo
Located in Saint-Ouen, IDF
Vintage wall sconce made by Stilnovo, it has an articulated arm, two cylinders each holding on light and a glass diffuser at the bottom held in place by brass pins. Integrated switch...
Metal, Brass
Italian Design Pair of Minimalist Wall Sconces Midcentury
By Stilnovo
Located in Ternay, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Pair of wall sconces made of brass and metal. Italian design, 1950s.
Metal, Brass
Midcentury Rattan and Wicker Cylinder Wall Light, 1950s
Located in Barcelona, ES
Mid-Century Modern Cylinder Wall Sconce in Rattan and Woven Wicker. Spain, 1950s. This hand woven wicker wall light has an eye-catching cylindrical design adorned by a rattan ring wi...
Rattan, Wicker
Parakeet Wall Light by Mario Lopez Torres
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Hastings, GB
A beautiful hand woven chuspata wall light by Mario Lopez Torres, in the form of a parakeet perched on the side of a woven basket. Torres works are much sought after by interior designers across the globe, and these original vintage pieces are particularly hard to find, this light dates to the 1980s. The metal shows signs of age related patina and there is a loss of the chuspata wrap on the mounting bracket, but this is hidden within the light so is not visible when on the wall. It has been fully rewired and fitted with a new single e14 lamp holder. The lamp has been fitted with a plug in lead, this could be shortened if you wished to have it hard wired in, so it can be used as either a plug in light...
Metal
Pair of Midcentury Wicker Wall Sconces with Toucans by Mario Torres
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Whimsical wall sconces or torchiere crafted with a metal frame wrapped in reed and having toucans perched at the tops with brass beaks.
Brass
Pair of Mario Torres Wicker Monkey Sconces
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Amusing pair of Mario Torres wicker or reed monkey sconces with palm tree leaves. The monkeys are working as torch bearers and have brass faces, feet, han...
Reed
Pair of Mario Torres Wicker Monkey Sconces
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Amusing pair of Mario Torres wicker or reed monkey sconces with palm tree leaves. The monkeys are working as torch bearers and have brass faces, feet, han...
Reed
Pair of Coconut Trees Wall Sconces, style of Mario Lopez Torres
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Saint-Ouen, IDF
Pair of wicker wall sconces in the style of Mario Lopez Torres shaped like coconut trees. Each sconce has two lights hidden in the fruits. Rare colored pieces as most of his work w...
Wicker
Pair of Mario Torres Wicker Owl Wall Ornaments or Sconces
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Midcentury wicker wall ornaments or sconces crafted in wicker wrapped over a metal frame depicting a simple hour glass basket form with owls perched on the tops. Signed Mario Torres ...
Wicker, Reed
Mario Torres Wicker Sconces with Toucans
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Whimsical midcentury torchiere style wall sconces crafted in wicker wrapped over a metal frame with toucans or birds perched at the tops. Not electrified.
Wicker, Reed
Pair of Mario Torres Wicker Monkey Sconces
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Amusing pair of Mario Torres wicker or reed monkey sconces with palm tree leaves. The monkeys are working as torch bearers and have brass faces, feet, han...
Mario Lopez Torres Wicker Tucan Wall Sconce Signed 1974 Mexico
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in St. Louis, MO
Mario Lopez Torres wicker Tucan with brass beak wall sconce light, signed 1974 Mexico.
Brass