Adrian Cruz

Furniture maker

©Francesca Marelli

©Dan Rocha

Ultra designs and hints of Mexico

Adrian worked as an architect before turning to making
The key materials he uses are Mexican resin and onyx
He applies techniques developed by his grandfather

Adrian Cruz first left Mexico to study architecture in Florence and later moved to Brussels to work as an architect specialised in interior and furniture design. When he started his own furniture studio, he drew inspiration from his architectural background, but also from his roots. “I use materials that are deeply meaningful to me, resin and onyx, and techniques developed by my grandfather,” he says. His grandfather had an atelier where he worked with resin and his family still runs the company, which now provides Adrian with resin elements. The type of onyx he works with is linked to his birth country as well. “The Mexican onyx, with its unique shades of green, was used in pre-Hispanic Mexico to create religious objects and jewellery,” he explains.

Interview

©Dan Rocha

©Francesca Marelli

What was the first furniture piece you made?: My Rotonda lamp, inspired by the Villa La Rotonda by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. I admire the purity of his lines and the balance of his designs.
How would you define your own designs?: They are instruments to tell a story. When I design something, my first instinct is to depict an experience or a concept that deeply touched me at some point in my life. From this, I start to reason on how to merge this feeling with the final functionality of the object.
As an architect, is there a city that inspires you in particular?: Mexico City, with its blend of colonial and 20th-century architecture. In Europe, Bauhaus architecture is minimalist in its forms and colours, but in Mexico, we use the colours of folklore to bring these buildings to life. I reflect this universe by combining bright colours with simple volumes.
Is there something about your background that may surprise people?: I am influenced by my grandfather, but also by my parents. My mother, a micro-palaeontologist, passed on to me a fascination for exotic flowers and insects. My father, a geologist, taught me the characteristics of minerals.

Adrian Cruz is a rising star: he began his career in 2018