Painted Mermaid Coffee Table

Here is an example of a very ordinary table that has been transformed by the paint brush and imagination of Francisco Merino. So many people love mermaids and ocean lore and you can see here the charm and vision of one great painter!

Mexican Art

Franciso Merino has been painting for years. He has a very strong style of work that captures the flavor or Mexico. Here is an example of a trytic he recently did for some Canadian clients. The three panels can be moved into a variety of configurations to give a different effect of ocean, light and movement.

More Painted Mexican Furniture

At Muebles La Mision we are fortunate to have an excellent artist on hand. Francisco Merino can paint wonderful pictures, and furniture. we recently designed an elegant china cabinet and had him paint the doors with Cala Lillies. These cabinets can be done in any color and you can choose any design for the doors. This is just an idea. The configuration can be changed and the finish can be bright or matte. This type of furniture adds art and purpose to any room.

More on Equipales

I have had so many questions of equipales that I have done some research on them and the different styles. Basically there are about 6 main styles and many different colors but Tobacco and Saddle Brown are the most common. The chairs and sofas can be padded or just have a pigskin seat. The backs of the seats vary from open in the Cancun style to combination of willow and woven pigskin. They can be used in the house or outside. I do not recommend that they be left in direct sunlight 24 hours per day but they are durable and can withstand changes in weather.

I have attached a photos of the most ocmmon style which is the traditional equipale in the two most common colors. If you have any questions, leave me a comment in the blog.

Equipales

Many people ask about Equipales. Most want to know what they are. The word comes from Nahuatl meaning "place to sit". There are many different qualities of equipales. They are made of pigskin and the woven wood can be willow, rosa morada or other woods. Be sure that you buy them from a reputable store where they are fumigated and insect-free.

The pigskin comes in different colors and can also be upholstered in a fabric that you select. The best and most comfortable equipales are padded. Prices can vary depending on the style that you choose. A glass top can be added to the tables making them a bit larger.

Decorating with Mexican Colonial Furniture

Many people ask about what type of upholstered pieces of furniture would work best with Mexican Colonial furniture. We just received a love seat, chair, ottoman set in Ivory that would work well because they are big, overstuffed pieces. The ivory looks especially good combined with Persian or Oriental carpets. Contact me if you are interested in these items, the price is right!!!

Painted Mexican Furniture

If you love birds, flowers, animals, pastoral scenes or bright colours ,wait until you see the beautiful painted furniture made in Mexico. Each piece of painted furniture is unique and is painted by hand. You can request different scenes and these can be made for you in the size that you want. This is really custom designed furniture. It is amazing what the artists in Mexico can do with furniture - they turn boring items into works of art! This is an armoire that is painted with parrots in brillant colours that will add great impact into the decor of any room in the house.

A Work in Process!

In these two photos you can see some of the stages in hand crafting a bed. The shape is formed out of the wood and then comes the carving of a design. The comparison is very dramatic. If you appreciate real quality in furniture, you will appreciate that this furniture is made of wood, not "hard wood solids" Particle board. Very few companies exist in the US that make hand made furniture. I am aware of only one in Indiana called Karges. Check out their website! Exquisite!

Mesquite, Leather and Wrought Iron Bed

Here is an example of the skill of Mexican artisans. This bed combines the best of Mexican Colonial furniture. Notice the carved wrought iron swirls on the posts of the headboard and the pattern of hand hammered nails. This bed combined with a Persian or Oriental carpet would make a statement in any Master Bedroom, just don't hit yourself on the posts!!!

Wood Working Tools

As a picture is worth a thousand words, take a look at the tools that are used to design and create Mexican furniture. The design is drawn in pencil and then each design is carved using one of the tools shown in the picture.

Parota and Rosewood

Some of the woods used in Mexican furniture are not familar. Parota is similar to teak in appearance and is resistant to humidity and insects. It grows abundantly in jungles from Mexico to Brazil and is used for furniture, frames, windows and doors. The picture is a Mexican Colonial style round dining table that can be built in many different styles.

Rosa Morada is another wood often used in the manufacture of furniture and comes from India, Mexico, Honduras and the Asia. It is sometimes called Rosewood. There is a photo showing the grain pattern of the wood. The colours can be changed.

The magic of Mexican furniture is the wood. Real wood is used not "wood solids and veneers and plywood". This furniture is hand-crafted, the tecniques taught by father to son over the years. Modern furniture produced in Canada and the US is made by machines (very pretty) but not special in the same way that only skilled artisans can create. Each swirl and design is carefully planned out and executed on wonderful woods.

Talavera Toilets

I bet you thought that you had seen it all! Have you ever seen Talavera Toilets? Yes, they are available in all colours and designs. They come as a really nice set and addition to any bathroom. Included are the toilet, sink with tiles to lay on top of the counter, waste paper "basket" and all the acessories for hanging towels, toilet paper. If you buy the whole set it comes at a great price; however, keep in mind that it really is talavera and has been hand painted!

Wrought Iron Furniture

One area of excellence in Mexican furniture making is in Wrought Iron. I went to visit one of the workshops in Rosarito today and took pictures of the workers at work and play. The work that they do is incredible, the designs are beautiful and the results are most wonderful. I am not sure exactly how they accomplish the entire operation but it is exacting work and requires skill and precision.

Oriental Carpets

One of the best kept secrets to decorating in the "Mexican Style" is the use of Oriental or Persian carpets.

The Russian Kazak is one of the most prized of these carpets due to the colours and patterns. These rugs are hard to find and are usually sold at upscale galleries and auction houses for outrageous prices. The carpets are hardwearing and resistant to damage. Sometimes you will find "abrash" or slight changes of colour due to different dye lots of the wool. Some carpets will have "bleeding" due to the washing of the vegetables dyes. Since these carpets take a long time to produce more wool is required and the dye might not be exactly the same shade as the original.

It is very easy to tell carpets that are hand woven from those that are made by machine. One look at the back will tell you the whole story. It takes many, many hours to make one of these beautiful Oriental carpets.

Attached is a photo of a Russian Kazak. The size is 6 x 9 a really good size for decorating. They look brillant contrasted with the Mexian tile floors.

Hand Carved Furniture Created In Mexico

So many people do not realize what "hand-made" really is. I didn't know until I visited a small workshop in Rosarito and watched the artist at work. The design is pencilled in on the wood and then using 25-30 different tools each swirl and curve is expertly carved to design the pattern. Only wood is used as opposed to "hard wood solids" that makes up most of the store furniture.

Attached are some photos of Bruno at work and the last photo shows the base of a dining table that he made!

Mexican Colonial Chairs

Colonial Mexican chairs come in many different styles and choices of wood. They can be simple or heavily carved. The most expensive are made of mesquite and beautifully carved. Watching the artisans work carving these chairs is quite amazing. I had never realized all the work that was involved in creating these masterpieces until I got to see the process. Everything is really done by hand.
Mesquite has become very difficult to find as the Mexican government has put a very strict count on logging these trees. It is an incredibly heavy wood and shipping costs are prohibitive. Now different woods are being used: rose wood, habillo, antiqued pine. I have included a photo of one of the beautiful styles that compliments the large rectanglar or round hand carved dining tables. If you have any comments or questions, please contact me at lamisionmuebles@hotmail.com

More Modern Mexican Furniture

So many people like a more modern look to their furnishing and we have found some wonderful places that can make copies of Danish Modern to just updated styles. Again these can be made to your specifications and fabrics can be selected by you or you can look through samples that we have at the store. The company that fabricates this furniture has been in Mexico for many years and have a wonderful reputation.

Hand Carved furniture from Michoacan

We have received on consignment several pieces of hand carved, some painted, headboards, benches and night tables. They are all intricately hand carved in sugar pine. The photo that I have attached is a coffee table and two end tables painted a dark green. The peacock is painted in many different colours and would add charm to any room. The price for all 3 pieces is: $700.00 but you can buy only one piece is you like.

These pieces are made in small little towns by skilled artisans.

Modern Mexican Furniture

We have discovered many different manufacturers of furniture in the Baja California area and one in particular has made and is making furniture for a leading American Company. I have attached a photo of a love seat, sofa and coffee table that we can have made in many different colours of microsuede. My husband who is a rather large fellow claims that "this is the first comfortable sofa that he has tried". The wood is alder and unlike furniture that you buy in the US it is not a veneer over hardwood solids. The coffee table is made of alder and alder wood only. If you have any questions or comments please let me know. The pricing on this set is very reasonable for the quality that you would get. I am learning more and more everyday about furniture that is made in Mexico and how it differs from the furniture made in the US and Canada.