A furniture brand founded in 2011 by industrial designer Emiliano Molina in Mexico City. Cuchara’s designs are rooted in ergonomics & utility.

Emiliano Molina, Founder & General Director

“Every line & every angle in the drawing is justified through these experiments. So it’s pure analysis of ergonomics. Once you have these angles, drawings, and sketches of someone sitting, that’s the functional part. Then you must move to the expressive part of design”

— Emiliano Molina, Founder & General Director of Cuchara

Can you give us an overview of Cuchara?

Our work starts with ergonomics. It involves a lot of study.

About six years ago, I designed a machine to create different positions for sitting. That machine has evolved, and now we use this machine & the philosophies to design tables, stools, and even rocking chairs. I love this part because every line & every angle in the drawing is justified through these experiments. So it's pure analysis of ergonomics. Once you have these angles, drawings, and sketches of someone sitting, that's the functional part. Then you must move to the expressive part of design.

The chairs we are sitting on are from the pandemic. Before that period, I designed with the minimum pieces of wood that would make the furniture sturdy. Any less material would cause the furniture to fail. But this was fragile… the spirit of Cuchara was very fragile & very fine.

Then the pandemic came, and it showed us that we needed to build stronger things, to be stronger ourselves. So, the design changed to be more massive, like the piece of wood in this chair. Once you have the functional solution, you then need to move to the expressive solutions or proposals, where you can talk about something else, like the pandemic in this case.

Amateur photo by Obra during a recent visit to Cuchara’s lovely showroom. Camastro Alza recliner & Huna A stool

Can you tell us a bit about the Cuchara showroom and its neighborhood?
Emiliano: Our showroom is in Colonia Roma Sur, Mexico City. It's a very fancy, trendy neighborhood. But we are not in the main design district; we are on a big avenue where people live their normal lives, walking to work or taking their children to school. It's different from the design district, but it's amazing - it helps us have different conversations.
What are you showcasing these days, and what is your approach to displaying your work?
Emiliano: We feature our flagship pieces & also our most current pieces. So today, we have 2024 and 2025 pieces on exhibition. Since February, I've also been trying to show art. This current exhibition, “Tiers”, features a painter from Mexico City. I'm trying to help furniture create a new language with art, not just with decorative posters or decorative paintings on the walls, but with actual art. I'm exploring where that will take me, because the significance of art is different from the significance of furniture design. I'm aiming to create a new meaning for the co-existence of these two disciplines in this space. I try to keep it very clean, not like a furniture market, but more like a space where you can live, stay, and enjoy.
Cuchara has been in practice since 2011. How do you keep your designs current, and do you have any mainstays?
Emiliano: Yes, we've been around since 2011, and we keep it very current. We have some mainstays, like this table that's been around for about 10 years, but we also have pieces from this year. I try to make them speak to each other; they're different but not that different. For instance, you can see the same structural elements in a piece from 10 years ago and a new one [three legs for support, but both very different], with different materials. If the tables could speak, maybe they could describe each other. They're related, but 10 years apart.
You mentioned your exploration of art and design - how they can be connected yet different. Is this a recent exploration for Cuchara?
Emiliano: Yes, it's from this year. February marked our first exhibition. However, it's not far from my personal life. I studied art before I studied design, so many of these [gestured to the paintings in the showroom] are my friends’. I chose a different path to make something more functional, as my point of view on life is generally more functional. I can understand a functional life without beauty, references, and the profound thinking that art can provide. So, I'm trying to mix them now.
Over the years, I have noticed more and more exhibitions in the art and design communities that seem to be less focused on the core of what we do, and more focused on taking selfies. Are we trying to make a different kind of reflection about art and design? I think design in Mexico is changing a lot because of some of these events. It's a place for business, which is necessary for us to live, but we also need to talk about function, reflection, politics, and social issues. We're exploring and trying to be sculptors, to make art, not just design. So we're following a path of separation from pure function. The exercise at Cuchara now is to explore where a combination of art and design will take us. It's not ornamental art; it's very thoughtful art. I don't know where it will lead, but we need to talk about this.

The two tables referenced above - “if the tables could speak” - Mesa Auxiliar Alza C (left) & Mesa Circuito (right)

What do you think makes the design community in Mexico special?

It's our culture.

A few years ago, I was talking with one of the best designers in Mexico, Emiliano Godoy. We discussed how we [Mexico] are a country of craftsmanship. We have so much of this information hiding in every part of our lives. We have the ability to design, and to build by hand. It's amazing - it’s competitive, and very expressive. We have this school of craftsmanship in every part of our culture—in our food, in every step, in the way we live, in architecture, etc. We don't need to aspire to be like IKEA.

We need to be proud of how we design and how we can offer design. We don’t need to do mass production, and we should not feel bad about that. We need to go back to our carpenters and craftsmen & craftswomen and learn from them. We need to redesign our communications to work together to build a good industry, not just a mass-production industry. It's going to be better for all of us if we maintain our core values.

What have you learned over this past year, which seems to have been a busy period of transition for you?
Emiliano: I've learned a lot. This year has been very difficult for - my father has been sick, and my workshop is evolving. The main lesson I’ve learned is a simple one: The power of “No”. Sometimes it can be difficult to say “no”, but I’ve seen this can be a tool to survive this transition time. I've had to tell the university, "not this time," [for lecturing], I’ve had to turn down personal plans outside of work. But I’ve learned that is okay. I need to focus on Cuchara; it's my work, and I've been doing it for 12 years, so I need to focus.
Can you share some of your favorite rituals, whether within design, the showroom, or personally?
Emiliano: In the morning, I stay away from my cell phone. I try to connect with the needs of my body, which is always the need for rest *chuckles*. I designed my home, and I intentionally excluded nightstands and side tables to hold cell phones.
Tell us about one of your favorite recipes these days?
Emiliano: An easy and classic experience here in Mexico City: buying a kilo of fresh tortillas, cheese, chicharrón, and salsa. Now you can eat some of the best tacos - “tacos placeros”.
If you designed a bar, a restaurant, or a coffee shop – which would you choose and what would be a unique element of that space?
Emiliano: I'd choose a coffee shop with a long bar and nice stools.
If you were to have a career outside of the design industry, what would that be?
Emiliano: A dog-walker. *both chuckle*

Can you tell us about the decision-making process behind the materials you use for Cuchara?

We use certified walnut, oak, tzalam, and teak.

I think wood is the most controllable material. You can control the production; you can control every millimeter, unlike metal. You can be precise. I also think it's the most sustainable material in my opinion. Also, it's very expressive. Why use any other material?