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.
2010s Mexican Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Steel
Late 20th Century Mexican Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Brass, Metal
20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Brass, Metal
2010s Mexican Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Steel
1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Iron
1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Iron
1970s Mexican Hollywood Regency Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Rattan, Wicker
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Iron
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Metal
1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Iron
1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Iron
Mid-20th Century Mexican Mid-Century Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Metal
1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Wicker
2010s Mexican Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Steel
1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Brass
2010s Mexican Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Steel, Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Organic Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Reed
1980s Mexican International Style Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Organic Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Wicker
20th Century Mexican Arts and Crafts Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Reed
19th Century British Rustic Antique Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Wood
2010s Organic Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Wood, Teak, Reclaimed Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Scandinavian Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Rattan, Mirror
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Bamboo, Mirror, Rattan, Cane, Wicker
20th Century Norwegian Mid-Century Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Wood
1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Wicker
1930s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Cane, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Rattan
2010s British Organic Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Mirror
19th Century British Rustic Antique Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Wood
1920s French Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Bamboo, Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary French Scandinavian Modern Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Mirror, Rattan
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Metal
1980s Mexican Bohemian Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Metal
20th Century Mexican Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Wicker, Rattan
1980s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Rattan
1980s Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Bamboo
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Rattan
2010s Mexican Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Steel, Brass
2010s Mexican Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Steel, Brass
2010s Mexican Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Steel
2010s Mexican Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Steel
1980s South American Hollywood Regency Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Metal
1970s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Mario Lopez Torres Furniture
Iron