Mexican Design & Style: Overview Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr

Mexican cocinas: the colonial kitchen Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr

Restoring a Mexican hacienda Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr

Mexican Design Style: The publications Reviewed by Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr

Karen Witynski

Award-winning authors/designers Joe P. Carr and Karen Witynski have been at the forefront of the Mexican design movement for over twenty-five years as interior designers, gallery owners and restoration consultants. Based in Austin, Texas, Carr and Witynski are the owners of Texture Design, a gallery specializing in hacienda design, colonial antiques and architectural elements. They have designed residences throughout the U.S. and Mexico and collaborated on numerous commercial design projects, including restaurants and retail stores. Most recently, they have been involved in the three-year restoration and design of an 18th-century, ex-cattle hacienda in the Yucatán

Their extensive design knowledge and passion for Mexican architecture, furniture and traditional arts led them to produce a series of six design books with Gibbs Smith Publisher: Mexican Country Style (1997), The New Hacienda (1999), Casa Adobe (2001), Adobe Details (2002), Casa Yucatan (2002), Mexican Details (2003). In 2000, The Mexico Ministry of Tourism and President Ernesto Zedillo awarded Carr and Witynski " La Pluma de Plata" for The New Hacienda.

Passionate preservationists, Carr and Witynski have explored Mexico extensively, researching and photographing the nuances of Mexican design and the rich, cultural heritage surrounding its origins. From country haciendas and desert ranches to renovated colonial homes and adobe spas, Carr and Witynski's book series explores the compelling interior design elements and architectural details that encompass the soulful antiquity of Mexico's design style. In addition to showcasing innovative interiors and inspiring design ideas, the series documents Mexico's remarkable restoration renaissance in recent years, heralding the preservation and adaptive reuse of colonial and historic buildings.

Beginning in 1997 with their first book, Mexican Country Style, Carr and Witynski remain steadfast on their mission to unveil innovations in the fast-growing Mexican design arena. The first volume to document the Mexican style influence reaching far beyond its origins, Mexican Country Style celebrates the rich heritage of Mexican antiques and their newfound presence in contemporary homes and gardens in the U.S. and Mexico. Throughout their series, the authors share behind-the-scenes information on buying and restoring antiques, traditional Mexican building methods, design resources and travel tips on colonial hotels and locations with unique Mexican style.

(The popularity of Mexican Country Style and The New Hacienda has led to their new release in paperback, April, 2003.) See below for complete Book Series overview.

With their "Mexican Style" monthly series for Mexconnect, Carr and Witynski highlight each of their six books, unveiling the inspirations and sources behind this distinctive design style and its meteoric rise in popularity. (See "Mexican Style" series overview).

Carr and Witynski enjoy frequent trips to Mexico for their Texas design gallery and publishing projects. Individually, Witynski photographs homes and gardens for national publications and Carr is a hacienda consultant and furniture designer. Together they divide their time between their Austin, Texas home and the Yucatán Peninsula. Website: www.mexicanstyle.com

SERVICES

--Interior Design and Architectural Consulting

--Mexican Furniture, Colonial Antiques & Doors (Texture Antiques Gallery, Austin, TX)

--Photography:

Assignment Work: Interiors/Architecture/Gardens

Stock Images of Mexico: Architecture; Interiors; Gardens; Travel; Markets; Folk Art

Fine Art Sales: Black & White Prints--Mexican Architecture & Nature

--Travel Consultation/Tour Guides: Specializing in Mexican Haciendas & Mexican Design

--Illustrated Presentations: Mexican Design/Architecture/Haciendas/Furniture

For further information, visit : www.mexicanstyle.com

Mailing Address:
Joe P. Carr & Karen Witynski
3267 Bee Caves Rd. #107-181
Austin, TX 78746
(512) 370-9663 tel
(512) 328-2966 fax

Gallery Address:
Texture Antiques & Design
3601 Bee Caves Rd.
At Barton Springs Nursery
Austin, TX 78746
(512) 327-8284

See all articles by Karen