Local history and minimalist design come together at Círculo Mexicano, a new boutique hotel in the center of Mexico City. The grand 19th-century building, located just behind the city’s main cathedral, has been given a spare and luminous interior courtesy of Ambrosi | Etchegaray, the Mexico City-based architecture studio led by Jorge Ambrosi and Gabriele Etchegaray. The designers tasked themselves with creating a modern luxury hotel that keeps faith with the building’s past, with Shaker-inspired interiors featuring materials and furniture crafted by local artisans. According to Ambrosi, the firm “tried to reduce the elements to make them a part of the architecture.” The resulting design is elegant and contemplative, providing a serene getaway just a short walk from the city’s cultural center.
Let’s take a look.
Photos courtesy of Grupo Habita.
![now home to a modern marketplace beneath the hotel’s \25 rooms, the reno 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/facade-circulo-mexicano-733x574.jpg)
![shaker inspired furnishings complement the cool stone floors and walls, creatin 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/patio-room-circulo-mexicano-733x489.jpg)
Ambrosi and Etchegaray worked with local Mexican artists and artisans to outfit the room’s interiors. The simple architecture helps the objects stand out: carefully crafted wooden furniture by La Metropolitana complements hand-blown light fixtures from Duco Lab and textiles sewn by Oaxacan artisans. These utilitarian pieces are faithful to traditional Shaker design, with a premium on simplicity and functionality.
![the bedding is made of textiles hand stitched by local oaxacan artisans using n 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/stiching-circulo-mexicano-733x1026.jpg)
![above, the deluxe room (\$\1\20 a night). the platform below the bed and the si 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/deluxe-room-circulo-mexicano-733x489.jpg)
![the rooms’ building materials act as decoration, exposed brick in the ba 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/bedroom-circulo-mexicano-733x1026.jpg)
![the wooden shutters on the windows overlooking the hotel’s central court 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/shaker-peg-circulo-mexicano-733x487.jpg)
![at once functional and a reference to devotional practice, candles fill the box 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/trinket-basket-circulo-mexicano-733x1100.jpg)
![many rooms feature skylit patios that elegantly harmonize stone and natural lig 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/patio-circulo-mexicano-733x489.jpg)
![the zig zagging staircase in the central courtyard is original to the building. 27](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/staircase-circulo-mexicano-733x1002.jpg)
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