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.
Antique Mario Lopez Torres Jaguar Petite Stool
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Circa 1970, we offer this Antique Mario Lopez Torres Jaguar Petite Stool, made in natural woven and iron structure, the eyes are made in precious stone.
Iron
Antique “Jaguar Petite” Stool by Mario Lopez Torres - Mexico, circa 1970
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Sculptural “Jaguar Petite” zoomorphic stool designed by Mario Lopez Torres, a leading figure in 20th-century Mexican design working with natural fibers, circa 1970. The piece featur...
Iron
Antique Mario Lopez Torres Monkey Console
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Circa 1970, we offer this Antique Original Mario Lopez Torres Monkey Console, made in natural woven and iron structure, Hecho en Mexico. The ...
Iron
Antique Mario Lopez Torres Elephant Box
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Circa 1970, we offer this Antique Original Mario Lopez Torres Elephant Box, made in natural woven and iron structure, includes original mark Mario Lopez Torres 1974 Hecho en Mexico.
Iron
Modernist Benches and Stool, c.1970
Located in Surbiton, GB
Large handmade cushioned benches and stool, made from pine wood and Douglas Fir and upholstered with a warm brown black tweed. Quite probably Scandinavian in origin, c.1970. One of...
Fir, Pine
$1,007
H 17.72 in W 37.8 in D 13.78 in
Airisto Side Table and Bench, a Modern Scandinavian Wooden Design Piece
By Joanna Laajisto
Located in Halikko, Finland
Airisto bench with Joanna Laajisto. The Airisto collection's furnishings are multifunctional, they can be used as a side table, stool and a bench. The na...
Ash
Wooden Rush Bench or Side Table, France, 1950's
By Charlotte Perriand
Located in Den Haag, NL
Wooden Rush Bench or Side Table, France, 1950's Would fit perfectly as a side table in your living room to put books on or to sit. Please contact us for an affordable shipping quote.
Wood, Rush
Antique French Louis XVI Petite Corbeille Vanity Chair
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An enchanting jewel of French romanticism, this petite Corbeille chair is a masterclass in authentic time-worn beauty. With its enveloping barrel back...
Linen, Wood
$1,760Sale Price|20% Off
H 15.16 in W 15.75 in D 11.82 in
Jaguar Coffee and Cocktail Table by Mario López Torres
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in CABA, AR
Presenting an exceptional Jaguar coffee table, masterpiece by Mario López Torres that transcend functionality to become captivating wicker-woven sc...
Rattan
$1,000
H 22.25 in W 23 in D 16 in
Vintage Boho Wicker Rattan Elephant Side Table Style of Mario Lopez Torres 1970s
By Mario Torres
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
1970s Vintage Boho Figurative Animalia Wicker Rattan elephant side tray table in the style of Mario Lopez Torres. This Animalia vintage 1960s-19...
Bamboo, Wicker, Wood
Primitive Rustic Minimal Italian Wooden Bench Stool Side Table
Located in Carimate, Como
Beautiful Italian rustic primitive country wooden bench, with typical legs in original aged natural color giving the rich and beautiful patina that makes it look wonderful in every i...
Wood
Primitive Rustic Minimal Italian Wooden Bench Stool Side Table
Located in Carimate, Como
Beautiful Italian rustic primitive country wooden bench, with typical legs in original aged natural color giving the rich and beautiful patina that makes it look wonderful in every i...
Wood
Modern End Table, The Torre
By Bertu Furniture
Located in Oak Harbor, OH
Please scroll down to read IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT OUR STUMPS before purchase! Why buy BERTU HOME stumps? KILN DRIED Our stumps all go through a drying process in our k...
Maple
Mario Lopez Torres Pair Rattan and Brass Monkey Console Tables
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Pair of Console Tables by Mexican Artist, Mario Lopez Torres. The tables are held by a hand-woven rattan monkey - A steel frame with Hand-woven rattan is the base and body, while t...
Brass, Metal
$1,763
H 15.36 in W 66.54 in D 10.24 in
Primitive Rustic Minimal Italian Wooden Bench Stool Side Table
Located in Carimate, Como
Beautiful Italian rustic primitive country wooden bench, with typical legs in original aged natural color giving the rich and beautiful patina that makes it look wonderful in every i...
Wood
Pair of Danish Teak Mid-Century Modern Flip Top Tables Suede Benches
By Arne Norell, Hans J. Wegner
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Pair of Danish Mid-Century Modern teak tops side tables flipping to suede upholstery benches.
Suede, Teak
Antique Mario Lopez Torres Jaguar Stool
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Circa 1970, we offer this Antique Mario Lopez Torres Jaguar Stool, made in natural woven and iron structure, the eyes are made in brass. It has details on one ear and on the legs.
Iron
Antique Mario Lopez Torres Jaguar Stool Iron Structure
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Circa 1970, we offer this Antique Mario Lopez Torres Jaguar Stool Iron Structure, made in iron. The structure is quite solid and can be used for sittin...
Iron
Antique Mario Lopez Torres Jaguar Stool
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Circa 1970, we offer this Antique Mario Lopez Torres Jaguar Stool, made in natural woven and iron structure, the eyes are made in precious stone.
Iron
Antique Mario Lopez Torres Jaguar Petite Stool
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Circa 1970, we offer this Antique Mario Lopez Torres Jaguar Petite Stool, made in natural woven and iron structure, the eyes are made in precious stone.
Iron
Mario Lopez Torres Copper Coyote Structure
By Mario Lopez Torres
Located in Mexico City, CDMX
Circa 1970, we offer this Mario Lopez Torres Iron Coyote sculpture structure, originally made in natural woven we have found only the structure, that ...
Iron