apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I've seen their work in House & Garden--I think the varenne opera chair is brilliant.

i'm really liking the alta vista mirrors, espcially in that citron green color. thanks for the tip.

I used to live in San Miguel de Allende (I'm originally from Mexico), and would like to offer a caveat. Many of the stores in SMA manufacture what would be considered kitschy and tasteless in Mexico, and they often use inferior materials and distress them.

I can't think of a way to weed out the good from the bad over the Internet; still, I'd be careful if I wanted to purchase something of integrity and quality, particularly as the prices are so high.

Caveat emptor.

A quick glance of the pictures of Casa Midy's products gives me a bad impression. A serious Mexican would NOT purchase their wares.

I dunno . . . in Mexico City I saw alot of work from new designers (furniture.housewares.clothing.jewelry) that was excellent. Very outside the mold of heavy traditional Mexican -- so much of the furniture is from the Inquisition . . . or Portugal . . . anyway, it was nice to see. And of course the modern architects . . .

Of course you're talking about San Miguel, which I'm sure you're right about . . .

I love the Hacienda mirror. Very pretty! I also really like the elaborate headboards, but alas, do not have the room that can pull that off. The site is worth visiting for the pictures of the hacienda interiors alone (and, of course, the pup's pictures)

I guesss it wouldnt be proper to respond to some messages considering that I am one of the owners of Casamidy but in the midst of your positive comments I find one very perplexing.
What exactly is a serious Mexican?

In the past 5 years many younger designers have moved to SMA in an effort to re-interperate what is "mexican". For us that has meant looking back and working hand in hand with some of Mexico's premier artisans. Our objective has been to combine design with traditional methods of manufacture. Though there may be some admittedly kitch things these are generally found in the market that caters to tourists, there are some great resources in town that are level to any in the US or Europe. I recommend looking up www.smadc.com

I've been to San Miguel and I have seen products that not only live up to, but give some of New York's trendy, exclusive boutiques quite a run for the money.

Terry, please enlighten me as to what you consider an inferior material? Leather?

In any case I have seen Casamidy's products at the ICFF and was very impressed. I agree that many of Mexico's up-and-coming designers are very kitch and although considered tasteless by some, mind that's a very subjective term, the use of traditional techniques and raw materials is ingenious. Habitat can vouch for that as their Barcelona locations have been featuring Mexican designers and Mexican products in their catalogs and store windows for three months straight.

I'd keep an eye open for upcoming designers from Mexico. My two cents :)

If it did not say these items were Mexican in origin, I would not have known it necessarily by looking at the photos.

They seem neither touristy nor cliche, and certainly do not strike me as kitsch at all, in any language. They just seem very interesting (in shape, finish and material), a great take on tradition (and contemporary), neither because of-- or regardless of-- origin.

If you want kitsch you can certainly find it in Mexico. If you want gorgeous pottery, rugs, furniture, copperware, silver, tiles, etc., etc. you can also find that it Mexico. My experience has been that the items I purchased in Mexico have been beautiful and worth every penny I spent, and a quaility unavailable to me at that price point in the US. I find that people in the States are often very snobby about Mexican products, for reasons that escape me.

For centuries Mexico has simultaneously had a very high culture and also a strong folkloric element. It is not backward; it is beautiful and complex and amazing. There are many designers and architects who practice at the height of their professions and whose work would grace any home.

Boy...I'm not posting again without a lot of qualifcations. OK, here goes.

E BROWN and PATRICK:
You are absolutely right. There is great, fantastic, wonderful, inspiring, utterly beautiful, original, amazing design in Mexico——and I'm partial to it, as it reminds me of my roots.

The Mexican tradition of folklore and high art together is amazing. I look forward to every trip I make so that I can bring back textiles, pottery, mirrors, paintings and sketches, and what furniture I think might fit in my NYC-sized apartment. (I moved here with some family pieces, have added others.)

To JORGE ALMADA:
I'm sorry I did not like your wares. No doubt, some Mexicans DO like them. To clarify, I'm not against re-interpretation or reinvention of older styles--that is one of the ways art moves along in time. Your style and wares will no doubt appeal to some, and I wish you luck.

ABOUT THE QUALITY OF MEXICAN WARES VS. OTHERS
I am so, so partial to Mexican things that I prefer them to others. That said, like anywhere else, quality varies. In Mexico, I often find quality is not directly proportional to price.

ABOUT BEAUTY
It's in the eye of the beholder. Like religion...whatever gets you through the night. I doubt my comments would discourage anyone from buying whatever he or she pleased.

CODA
I'm not making any more criticism without serious amplification and qualification. My intention was to offer a caveat, not to trash the art and design of my country.

Terry - you didn't say (originally) that you didn't like Casamidy's style. You cast aspersions on their quality by looking at pictures. Your post was quite vehement, and rather odd.

To be clear: I did not directly cast aspersions on Casa Midy's wares. How can I possibly know about their quality? My caveat was a general one; as a former denizen of San Miguel, I've seen quality all over the spectrum. It's extremely difficult to judge quality from pictures.

And no, I did not particularly like most of Casa Midy's offerings, but that's a personal opinion. I did not say that in my original postings; did say so in the clarification to Jorge Almada; though I did wish him luck and noted that many people might love his stuff.

I hope this is the end of the attack. My original posting was meant as a warning to anyone considering shopping online and overseas. I love my country's style and would like to see people get the best possible quality.

If anyone else has a problem with what I wrote, please accept my apology now. I'm exhausted; and I meant well.

I had a terrible experience with Casamidy. I ordered a mirror, which took forever to recieve. When I did recieve it, it was not what I ordered. After multiple attempts at rectifying the issue, without even the courtesy of a resonse ,I resolved that my investment was lost. Buyers beware!!

I'm surprised to see Casamidy in here! I thought they were one of Mexico's best kept secrets! I visited Casamidy on my last trip to Mexico about 3 months ago and was surprised to find out that their products are all hand made. I think their concept is amazing: hand made items, with that contemporary yet classic and comfortable feel that we all love. I haven't ordered from them, but I hope to do so in the near future!

beautiful

I found Casamidy on this website and after showing some of their wares to my client, we ordered a few pieces......that was in February, 2006. I'm curious to know if the pieces will ever arrive or if I will ever hear from Jorge again. He always seems to be on vacation!!

Dear Diane,

Im very sorry that you feel AT is the only means of addressing your grievences. Please remember that our terms are very specific as how long it takes to manufacture and ship custom made items. Your lead time also starts from the time your deposit PO is confirmed, which in your case in March 03 and your finish choice only confirmed 3 weeks ago. I have made arrangement with your office over amonth ago that the fed exable part of your order was being sent at our own expense inorder to meet your dead-line.

For other people reading this post please be advized that Casamidy is a very small company located in Mexico. All our items are custom made on a per case basis. Our lead times are fixed and we are NOT able to do exchanges . All inquiries are personally attended by us but we do ask that these be made via email as we are often unreachable by phone as we are with our artisans at their workshops, and not on "vacation".

It is SOOOOOOO amazing! I LOVE it.

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LEE J

All buyers beware!!!!! We have been waiting for weeks upon weeks despite being told that our tray was ready to ship once in Sept, then in October and again two weeks ago. Apparently, Jorge is not one to keep his word. He was paid and we wonder like other buyers if this tray will ever arrive. I will report back on this blog and every one I encounter. Communications have essentially stopped until I sent an email to a once sister company. Very unprofessional business situation in Mexico.