Everyone loves a good story, and like a classic urban legend, this one from Mexico City is a mysterious blend of fiction and fact. Our heroine is Malamén, a young girl who loves nothing more than cooking and dreams of opening her own restaurant. Generations later, an artist finds Malamén’s cookbook in an abandoned basement… and we’ll let you fill in the middle act and skip straight to the happy ending, which is this fantastic and fantastical restaurant in the Polanco neighborhood from the imagination of illustrator Marco Colín and interior designer Ricardo Casas.
Where to start? The exterior which takes on a lovely turquoise glow at night. Immediately inside the venue takes its cue from an old colonial house. A wall of white painted frames from the period sits opposite a wall festooned with objects from Malamén’s life gathered from flea markets, and overhead is an attractive arrangement of 26 ceiling rosettes. Colín had his work cut out on this project – there are 96 of his framed illustrations on the double-level wall as well as a large fairytale mural detailing Malamén’s adventures. A tray by Panorámica was the basis for the 9 golden wall-mounted lamps, and other contributors to this entertaining story deserving of a mention are decorator Andrés Ocejo and the design team of Leonel Terres and Erick Muciño.
@malamenmx
@marcocolin
@ricasasdi
Photography, Jaime Navarro
