MICAELA, MAR Y LEÃ‘A

Micaela Mar y LeÃ±a is a restaurant located in Meridaâ€™s historic down town in the state of YucatÃ¡n. The project was developed inside an old colonial mansion from the 19th century.
The intervention managed to rescue the splendor of the original house. On the facades the old cedar wood doors were rehabilitated to make them look like new, the missing moldings were completed following the original design, the doors that were blocked were reopened, and finally an ideal paint tone was selected so the house looked as stunning as it was originally.
Due to the distribution of the existing residence, with a lot of small rooms, the firm decided to create different environments in each of the old rooms.
All the rooms in the first bay were covered with the same existing French tiles patterns, the electrical installation was placed in externally, thus avoiding damage to the existing ceilings, the steel beams and the wooden girders were rehabilitated and painted in wengue (dark brown) color, finally a concrete wall polished with rosewood pigment receive the diner upon entering the restaurant.
The second bay had already been modified in another historical period as art deco style concrete beams and columns are appreciated, therefore the design in this space is more dynamic and is adorned with a collage of French tiles with various patterns and colors, in addition to this, an amazing wall covered entirely with limestone, allows to see the Oyster bar and the pastry area through its openings.
The open kitchen was placed in one of the extensions respecting the original height of the building. The service areas such as: the storage, the cold rooms, the washing area and the production area were placed in other existing rooms of the house without any historical value.
Another addition is the double height area that houses the bar area, which is covered in cedar wood, and it also has an amazing bottle rack combining artistic blacksmithing and wood, with indirect lighting.
On the second floor: the wine display cellar, the bathrooms and an office were located.
Inside the bathrooms, two walls were re-covered with the existing French tiles that were recovered from the original rooms.
In the selection of furniture, lamps and decoration in general, bright colors typical of the traditional Mexican culture were used.
The indirect lighting in the facades and in all the spaces in general makes the sensorial experience very comforting; besides inviting the diner to prolong his stay and enjoy the moment.