In a remote corner of northern Mexico two furniture designers have built their dream ranch
I did not know what to expect when my old friends, the Brussels-based designers Jorge Almada and Anne-Marie Midy, invited me and my husband to the ranch they had recently built on a vast swathe of land in Mexico that had been a family destination for generations. I did anticipate, however, that it would be filled with the artful, handmade furniture they create through their company, Casamidy.
The duo lead a peripatetic existence with their two schoolage sons, and pay homage to their roots in Mexico (Jorge), France (Anne-Marie) and the US (both) in all their aesthetic endeavours, whether it be metal faux-bois chairs that cut a reduced Louis XV silhouette or an ebullient pink Colonial Mexican-style mirror. Their riveting homes are as unexpected as they are elegant. Two have already graced the pages of House & Garden: their Brussels townhouse (December 2011) and their French house in Saint-Paul-de-Vence (October 2016), a tiered, hilltop perch built by Anne-Marie’s great-grandfather in the Twenties on land bought from the owners of La Colombe d’Or hotel. The family’s other base in Mexico is a rambling apartment behind an ancient wall near Casamidy’s furniture studio in San Miguel de Allende, 200 miles north west of the capital.
Each of these distinctive, intensely personal homes acts as a kind of laboratory for the creative couple, who experiment with new materials and furniture concepts by combining and contrasting them with local wares and family antiques. This is especially true at the ranch, located in Sonora in north-western Mexico on land belonging to Jorge’s aunt, the Mexico City-based interior designer Alejandra Redo. It is a family affair, steeped in memory and heritage.
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Having travelled through wild-west towns and expansive desert mountains for the better part of two days from our New York apartment, the first glimpse of the ranch gates encircled by barking dogs was a sight for sore eyes. The swiftly dropping sun poured over the higher elevations, leaving the shaded dips of land. Set on the south facing skirt of a dormant volcano, the ranch and its rhythms are determined by the sun, and temperatures plummet the moment the light recedes. Jorge led us to the guesthouse, where a stove warmed the three rooms and a bath was drawn in a freestanding copper tub. A small, honey-coloured dog with pointy ears and an incessantly wagging tail followed us inside. We rejoined Jorge by the outdoor fire, encircled by Casamidy sofas, chairs and saddle blankets; tequila was passed round. It turned out all aspects of our stay would be calibrated between such moments of simplicity and luxury. ‘Rustic and lavish,’ observes Jorge of the contrast that underpins life at the ranch.
The main house was built with Belgian farmhouses in mind. ‘We were inspired by Flemish farm rooflines,’ says Jorge. ‘Two levels are not typical in Mexico, where everything is low slung to maintain a comfortable temperature. When my cousin saw the house, he thought we were crazy. I built it from a furniture maker’s point of view.’
Throughout, Jorge and Anne-Marie have blended refined design with humble, traditional materials. They had many of the components made at their atelier in San Miguel, including the staircase and windows, and some of the furniture. A fireplace in the great room with an enormous chimney warms both levels of the building. ‘With two storeys, it feels more like a hunting lodge,’ says Jorge.
MAY WE SUGGEST: The elegant townhouse of the French & Mexican furniture designers behind Casamidy
The decorating is a blend of influences and is inspired in part by the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris (think damask meets taxidermy). The double-height ceiling allows for a tableau of art, photographs, animal skulls, textiles, and even a hat collection to be harmoniously arranged. Jorge refers to it as a ‘repository of stuff ’, but it is actually a narrative based on family history. Photographs of 19th-century ancestors, including his great-grandfather Plutarco Elias Calles (a school teacher turned revolutionary general, later president of Mexico), serve as an aesthetic and historical anchor.
The other decorative elements reflect the couple’s global point of view, with elements plucked from different traditions: tartan cushions mingle with woven leather and wool Navajo blankets, while Mexican terracotta pottery sits on a simple French farmhouse table. Although the great room is the main indoor entertaining area, the veranda that runs the length of the house is a strong rival. Supported by carved wooden columns from a Michoacán maker, the veranda is amply appointed with elegant outdoor sofas and chairs designed by the couple so guests can watch the ever-changing skies roll by.
Our days were spent mostly on horseback, led by the ranch’s resident vaqueros (cowboys). We rode across rugged grassland terrain, with blue mountain ranges in the distance. It felt out of time and wild, until, miraculously, we would happen upon a watering hole with picnic tables and chairs set up for a delicious lunch prepared on site by the ranch cook. After margaritas we would rest, riding back via a different route with the sun slowly setting in the distance.
‘The ranch allows me to continue a tradition that’s been in my family for generations,’ says Jorge. ‘Thanks to my aunt, I’m able to offer the same childhood I had with my father to my own kids.’ With no internet and minimal electricity, it is an antidote to daily life. I, too, was not impervious to the spells of this remote corner of earth. I fell madly in love with the little dog that followed us inside on our arrival. We named him Gringo and brought him back to New York with us, where he is now a most beloved family member.
Casamidy: casamidy.com
ERIC PIASECKI1/14Set in the remote hills of Sonora, the house is 40 minutes from the nearest town.
ERIC PIASECKI2/14A ‘San Miguelito’ chair by Mexican modernist Michael van Beuren is teamed with a Casamidy ‘Hacienda’ coffee table. A mix of maps, books and hats line the brick walls.
ERIC PIASECKI3/14The simple lines of an ‘Ojai’ dining table and chairs by Casamidy suit this lofty space, in which traditional woollen Navajo saddle blankets and rugs provide earthy texture and pattern.
ERIC PIASECKI4/14Anne-Marie and her younger son Olivier prepare food against a backdrop of local earthenware pots and colourful enamelware, including turquoise pans by Cinsa, one of which has been turned into a lampshade.
ERIC PIASECKI5/14A gilt-framed sofa and mirror add elegant touches to the guest house.
ERIC PIASECKI6/14In the guest house, a pink-painted mirror in a shade the couple call ‘Casamidy Rosa’ picks up on the Mexican woven bedcover. The headboard is in an embroidered fabric by the indigenous Otomi people.
ERIC PIASECKI7/14A Casamidy ‘Hiver Strap’ headboard and ‘Hiver’ pedestal nightstand are teamed with woven Mexican accessories.
ERIC PIASECKI8/14Jorge’s collection of militaria is displayed in the ‘hussar’ room.
ERIC PIASECKI9/14The hammered copper bath is a reference to the copper mining in the region.
ERIC PIASECKI10/14An old MASH tent is the perfect setting for relaxed outdoor gatherings.
ERIC PIASECKI11/14Jorge and Anne-Marie with their pickup truck, known as La Princesa.
ERIC PIASECKI12/14Olivier and Antoine with Lalo, the caballerango in charge of the horses at the ranch.
ERIC PIASECKI13/14Jorge and Olivier go for a ride.
ERIC PIASECKI14/14Antoine with his horse under a Mexican black oak.
