Making It My Own

If you have been following my blog, you know that for a number of years I had rented the Mexico City apartment where I now permanently reside.  The former owners left the apartment completely furnished for me, and although it was very tastefully decorated, I still wanted to make it my own.  Over the course of several trips to Mexico this year I packed in my suitcases small items that I wanted down here.  I hired an international moving company to ship the larger things that I wanted transported.  Although there is still work to be done, the apartment is gradually being transformed into my place.

In the living room / dining room area there was a contrast between some modern pieces in black (definitely my style) with other pieces that are "antique-looking".  I had the large, black cabinet in which I store my DVDs and music CDs and the black-framed mirror shipped down here from Ohio.  The mirror replaced a smaller "antique" mirror that I have moved to the guest bedroom.  The "antique" table beneath the mirror is also going to be moved.  I want a black shelf or credenza to go there.  I have not found anything that is exactly the style or size, so I think I will eventually have a piece custom made at a little workshop not far from Alejandro's house.

The former owners had a couple of framed art prints hanging in the living room.  They were lovely, but I wanted a couple large pieces of my own artwork in the room.

This is a painting which I did of the waterfalls of Misol Ha in the Mexican state of Chiapas.  A lot of the knick-knacks in the apartment will eventually be either given away or donated to charity.  That is the one thing that I, as a collector of Mexican handicrafts, did not like about the apartment.  You would never know that you were in Mexico.  (But, as one person joked, it is the "gringos" who usually buy Mexican handicrafts!)  The Mexican table runner on the cabinet is mine, and the little dish in the foreground is one of few antiques that I have.  It belonged to my great-grandmother.

Over the sofa I hung a large painting that I did of a view of Toledo, Spain.

In the hallway leading to the bedrooms, I hung some more of my paintings.

The guest bedroom is slowly being transformed.  The end tables were just inexpensive pieces that I bought at Target, but I liked them and I wanted something at either side of the bed.  So, I had them shipped down.  I bought the mats on the tables from an Otomí woman who was standing outside a nearby restaurant, selling her handwoven work. The crocheted piece on the bed was done by a friend of mine.  The wall above the bed was empty and needed some artwork.  The watercolor in the middle was painted by a friend who has since passed away.  To either side of it are pieces of original art that I bought quite a few years ago in Oaxaca.

The office where I am sitting as I write this blog has also seen some major changes.  The lamp on the desk has been replaced with the one I recently bought.  The bookshelves (there is another on the other side of the desk) are now filled with my books, personal photos, knick-knacks, and handicrafts from my travels.  I had my easel shipped down here, and this will be my painting studio as well as my office.  I moved the cabinet at the right from the master bedroom.  I can use it as storage space for my art supplies.  A few more pieces of artwork have been hung in the room.

Hanging over the bed in the master bedroom is one of my favorite pieces of art.  Quite a few years ago it caught my eye at an outdoor art show in Mérida, Yucatán.  It was done by a local artist by the name of Luis Coral.  I also have a couple prints of his art that I need to get framed and hung in this room.

Finally, my collection of jaguar heads is hanging on the bedroom wall.

As you can see, I am gradually giving the apartment a new personality.