We recently visited Libia Moreno and Enrique Arellano at Utilitario Mexicano, their Mexico City emporium devoted to celebrating humble everyday objects made in their adopted country. After falling in love with their shop, we asked to see where they live. The two—she’s a textile designer, he’s a graphic designer, both originally from Colombia—happened to have recently finished a kitchen makeover and agreed to show us around.”Like everyone, at the beginning of the pandemic we had to be at home more than usual,” Libia began. “The kitchen was something we had been wanting to change but never got around to.”
Their apartment is on the top floor of a 1950s three-story building in Mexico City’s Colonia Roma Sur—around the corner from where the film Roma was made. Six years ago, before moving in, they had taken on the heavy lifting: the existing kitchen with its linoleum cabinets and beige stone counters was moved out of its sequestered space, now the pantry, into the main living area. Removal of the dropped ceiling gained the room nearly two feet and a chevron floor was introduced in a convincing wood-lookalike vinyl.
Accustomed to creating shop displays with graphic punch, the couple finally had time to give their out-in-the-open kitchen ensemble some punch. Take a look at their upgrades, choice street finds included, and scroll to the end for a glimpse of how the setup looked pre-pandemic.
Photography by Enrique Arellano.
Before
Some more metal kitchen ideas:
- Kitchen of the Week: An All-Stainless Design in a Paris Loft
- Remodeling 101: Stainless Steel Countertops
- Steal This Look: Smart Storage in a Swedish Kitchen
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