@casa_veronica’s Veronica Ortuño On Interiors That Move You
By Something CuratedVeronica Ortuño, behind Instagram account @casa_veronica, shares sumptuous imagery of inspiring interiors from across the world on her page, oscillating between, for example, a Patricia Bubela-designed surrealist villa in San Miguel de Allende, to Casa Bella furniture print advertisements from the 80s. The first generation Mexican American creative’s earliest memories include those of her mother homemaking, creating comfortable spaces for family and friends to spend time together. Today, among other outputs, Ortuño designs interiors as well as one-off home décor objects, inspired by her Mexican heritage.
In 2009, Ortuño founded Texas-based creative studio Las Cruxes; the name derives from the Spanish term “las cruces”, which translates to “the crossings.” Ortuño tells Something Curated: “Las Cruxes is a multidisciplinary studio offering creative services from creative direction, event production, curation, styling, photography and more. For nearly a decade the business operated as a hybrid boutique, art gallery, and events space in Austin and when my interiors work began getting more serious, I decided to shift Las Cruxes brick and mortar to online, still offering our services while being able to focus on the interiors work as well.”
On the thinking behind @casa_veronica, Ortuño explains: “The Instagram began as a direct cite to my interiors work, however, I also wanted my audience to get a better understanding of where my inspiration comes from and how broad my taste spans, so I shifted primarily to mood boarding while my site and business gain more traction. For the past 10+ months I’ve been working remotely on a project in Los Angeles and am preparing to start another project in Palm Springs. I’m slowly building a housewares/ceramics line that I’m hoping to launch, but that’s more of a passion project, and therefore I’m taking my time with it.”
Among the @casa_veronica highlights Ortuño shares with SC is a striking chequered white and red wall-hanging styled by interior designer and author Mary Gilliatt, the minimal wooden staircase of Casa Ortiz Monasterio by Andrés Casillas and Luis Barragán, and several magnificent projects by Terence Conran from the 70s and 80s. Elsewhere discover the interiors of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s Blue House in Coyoacán, Mexico City, the work of Austrian architect Laurids Ortner, Russell Woodard’s signature woven chairs, as well as Ortuño’s own stylings for a project in Detroit.
Expanding on her research process, she says: “I reference my books and magazines for interiors projects I do and have had clients point out specifics they’d like for furniture, art, etc. so it’s beneficial. I also study colour theory, composition, and architecture and generally take inspiration from details within the images. I try not to include humans in the content I post so the audience can put themselves in this imaginary world and space. I love when the image can inspire and move someone.”
Feature image: Living room in Carmen and Pedro Friedeberg’s Surrealist Villa, San Miguel de Allende, 1988. Designed by Patricia Bubela. Images courtesy @casa_veronica.