Gerardo Ríos Altamirano

My mother is an Interior Designer, so I was always fascinated by design and I was very close to her work. Since I was a child I loved visiting museums and traveling very much, this broadened my horizons, which make my designs influenced by many cultures and landscapes besides my own. After high school, I studied Industrial Design at the University of Monterrey (UDEM) in México, where I expanded my knowledge in design, besides having a passion for painting and arts. Since then, I have worked twenty years in the furniture sector, designing pieces for hospitality and home.

I own a furniture factory for Hospitality since 1994. I always focused my company to design, but only as a part of the manufacturing-design-service. Four years ago I took the decision to design furniture, with the sole purpose to amaze and delight the highest taste of Interior Design which was always my dream when I was a student.

For me, the meaning of design is tied to its latin origin (Di=from, signature=signature), this means that an object becomes a piece of design when the shapes and style are defined by an author for a purpose, like the signature of an artist but with the task of fulfilling a need.

These past years I have been concentrating on furniture, it has become my passion and I spend several hours of the day sketching new designs.

The dining table aero, because it’s the first design that I did for the Aero Collection, which is my favorite because it was inspired by an emotional state of optimism and dream realization.

At that time, I was studying design in Monterrey. And I was hired to design 3 lamps of a collection that would had to be made in ceramic and plasters. This collection was inspired in marine curves with simple and organic silhouette and also had interior light.

My favorite materials are pencil, paper, and watercolor, those are my most used at the time of sketching, when I have to build the concept of my idea. From there, I work with a 3D digital platform helped with my great team in the design studio.

I actually feel creative almost all the time. I do not need a particular moment or inspiration to sit down to design. it is clear that during trips, visits to museums and contemplating nature, I feel more creative though.

Inspiration is the trigger element of my high-end designs, the intention is to communicate through the shape, color, texture and the emotional sensation that they generate. In my own way of seeing it, is to try to make the design communicate emotions and inspire in the same way that an art work does, but in a more personal and perfect way, because it interacts with the user, allowing them to use their piece of art, sitting in it, or keeping their things in it, sleeping in it or eating in it, creating a personal relationship that allows them to experience the art of that piece, but in a physical way. The process always begins with an emotion or idea to be communicated, followed by the study of shapes by means of drawings by hand, to then elaborate more concrete designs in CAD. It is necessary in some cases to physically build real pieces first, that due to the difficulty of their shape, some times it is very difficult to decipher them on CAD or even express them on paper. From there, final prototypes are developed, which are evaluated from various aspects such as resistance, ergonomics, and production methods, to finally deliver the resulting design with all the aspects taken into account in its best posible way.

There are very few things in life I enjoy so much as creating, designing and developing, which are 3 different words for the same thing to me. It is the need to communicate and inspire what leads me to design and create, in an attempt to express myself and positively influence the mood of the people. We live in a world that passes us by at a dizzying speed surrounded by things with very little meaning, making us feel at the end of the day that our day did not have any memorable meaning. It is through art ... and better than through a type of art that can interact with us, that we can begin to give more transcendent meaning to our activities, generating an emotive impulse that gives off reflection, amazement, happiness.

I always try explaining to my collaborators and clients when a design is ready, that I hear as if a very nice melody sounds in my head. When a design concludes with the finished prototype and all the changes are made, the music plays simply and sublimely in my head. This is what I feel when I see a finished design.

It’s a combination of solutions that allow the design to solve a problem with ergonomics, aesthetics and style.

There are several perspectives from which a design can be evaluated, for example, from an efficient and creative way that solves a problem, or from the approach of style and beauty. My favorite perspective of design analysis is the ability to project or unleash an emotion, the beauty and harmony of the shapes it represents, in conjunction with a story immersed in the design that gives it a name and surname, as the roots of the word Design (di-segno, signed or done by). That the object has the implied signature of the author, his personal seal, his DNA.

To reach where I have arrived today, has given me the possibility to inspire people. Especially I like very much to positively influence young people ... get them out of monotony and conformism, and lead them to educate themselves more and love beauty. Also support local communities to help them meet their most basic needs and mainly feel they are important to someone and can achieve more with their own efforts. I still have a lot to contribute in this area, and I want to have more opportunities to apply the design in favor of a greater good to the community, however in Mexico design is not yet a public issue, much less popular. We must encourage the government and society in general to appreciate the design to create those opportunities.

Every day design is more appreciated and people are beginning to understand how important it is because this area cannot be made by machines and it goes towards efficiency talking about the solving of problems and the use of materials that are contemporary trends.

My last exhibition was in Las Vegas last August and I plan to have the next exhibition in 2019 probably in Barcelona.

It can come from any positive thing, nature, photography, emotions, sculpture, and other designs, I like to travel, visit museums and be outdoors to feed my creativity.

I admire Modernism, Atompunk, Art Nouveau and Dadaism currents. In addition to this, I had the privilege of traveling a lot and getting to know many cultures, which contributed to my style. I can´t be defined in a very precise way, so the principles of my designs are more to surprise the spectator and amaze, creating new concepts and shapes from a mixture of influences with good aestethics and perfection in ergonomics.

Merida, Mexico, it inevitably affects the ways I design and my inspiration but it is not a limit for my style and it doesn’t define my designs. The multiple trips that I had in my childhood around Mexico and the world, opened my mind to a multicultural cosmopolitan concept, without losing sight of my roots and the emotional charge that emanates from them.

We´re not working with any companies yet, but we´re looking to partner with a company soon.

They have to look for a person that is very creative with collateral thinking and more than directing the designer they have to let them know the goals and the tools that they can provide.

I get an idea in my head from a source of inspiration and then I express it through synthesized shapes in paper so the design takes shape and then the ergonomics are solved.

This is a difficult question because I love all my designs, I´m very proud of them and they took effort and time to develop, but of course there are some whose stories are among the most appreciated, one if these cases could be the Eros console, the main door of my house, the Aero dining table and the coffee table Terra, the door of my kitchen and the chaise lounge Eros.

I am now trying to change the fact that my agenda takes up a large part of my day in managing a company with more than 1000 employees. I have never stopped designing and putting my head in each of the pieces that are produced and I enjoy tremendously the time that I dedicate to design my line of high profile, for which I dedicate all my energy and experience, as well as diverse resources that I have in the company, as is the great work team that I have by my side, which allows me to move very quickly from the concept to the final piece. I am about to receive my license as a pro-avion pilot, with which I will fulfill my second greatest dream of my childhood, which is to fly, to be a pilot and go by myself to see nature from my own perspective. My family occupies the most important part of my life to procure welfare, be an example to follow, and being protector and leader for them, makes each morning a beautiful challenge and enjoyment at the same time.

The mind of a designer in its golden age is like a delicious dish in the best restaurant. It is only achieved with the best ingredients and a great cooking experience, seasoned with creativity and the subtlety of your senses. My advice is that you get quality elements to fill your mind. Art, nature, positive emotional experiences, travel as much as you can, get to know different cultures and their myths and legends, as well as their vision of the cosmos. Read and educate yourself, develop what you designed. Start with more basic things, it is very frustrating to start with very difficult things that you cannot conclude satisfactorily. Be daring, that would be the biggest advice I have. Do not be afraid, go for your dreams and never give up, design is not a goal, it's a journey!

For me it's great to be a designer, because you look at the world from the always optimistic perspective that everything can be improved. Everything always has a solution and all objects and things communicate and speak a visual and sensorial language. It's like speaking a language that is common in all cultures, the language of creativity. The negative aspects are more because of the lack of knowledge of the market about the functions and uses that a designer has, which often results in difficulty to get work and the resultant economic difficulties for some. Other factor is the ignorance of certain people that produces plagiarism which hits very hard to this sector so valuable, to which is owed nothing less than all the advances and development which we enjoy today.

Never lose sight that everything is designed for people. So the ergonomics and the usefulness of the design must always be considered. In my vision, beauty is nevertheless a substantial part of ergonomics. A design cannot be ergonomic if it bothers the senses (any of them). Design communicates something, and it´s important that a designer knows how to combine the elements they know to give meaning to their work.

Creativity is very important because new solutions are made out of different combinations of the things we know, in a way no one has thought of. Also, empathy for the user because even though design is closely related to art, it is not the same thing and a piece of design is going to be used by some one and it must be confortable and practical. Lastly, it is important to develop a good space perception for every design is supposed to fit somewhere, that´s where ergonomics help us.

Design is one of my hobbies, and it is also part of my daily job. Most of my time is dedicated to design, create and manage new ideas. Nevertheless, I am searching for a commercial partner so I can dedicate entirely to design and development.

It can vary a lot. It can take from 12 days to 8 months, depending of the other designs that are in process and the complexity of the design.

As a Designer, one of the most important was a couple of years ago when I had the opportunity to dress the preferential lobby of a high-end category Hotel at Playa Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico.

I have made designs mostly for luxury home owners, and hospitality companies like AM Resorts, Grupo Hermes, JW Marriott, Palladium Hotel Group and for my two signature brand home furniture VAROVA and GERARDO RIOS DESIGN

I love to design furniture, all parts of the design from the conceptual to the development of the prototype. Maybe the 3D drawing is the less attractive for me, that’s the reason I got a very good team in that area.

I'm at an interesting moment in my life, so far the main occupation has been to attend as a director a furniture factory, occupying much of my time in rather administrative work and industrial development. In the coming years, I would like to dedicate more time in my life to design and create a high profile design brand, for which the conceptual part of the brand is being designed, based on my way of designing and expressing art, unrestricted only to the furniture design but in a much more extensive and versatile way. I am looking for a founding commercial partner of the brand, so that growth is faster and with global projection, so I can devote myself more to design than to management. My dream is to transcend in life not only with my designs, but with my philosophical concepts about this, the optimism with which I look at nature, the human body, eroticism, creativity and the assault of the senses as a whole.

Yes, I always work as a team. The only part I do alone is at the start of a design, developing the concept, the first sketches and the general drawings and dimensions.

Since last year, I’m developing a tans lucid material, studding properties of wind to generate sounds, and static electricity applied to art.

I have been the owner of a wood furniture factory for residences for 12 years and owner of a hospitality industry furniture factory for the last 11 years. In both companies I have been the Chief Designer of what is produced and the focus on good design has been the key to the success of the team. I have been fortunate to create 3 high profile designer brands: Dec design, Varova, G. Rios, and in the last one I have taken the liberty of designing without limits, which has proved to be more challenging but at the same time more enjoyable.

My mother was the first interior designer in the city of Merida, where I grew up. My family has always been into art, design and architecture lovers/enthusiasts, and we very often used to travel all around the world visiting museums and searching for history and culture. I used to spend a lot of time next to my mom’s desk, designing and drawing since I can remember, so design for me has always been like the air I breathe. I decided to study Industrial Design after high school. I loved art, drawing and sculpture and wanted to design any kind of high technology product. I chose the University of Monterrey for my studies and obtained my degree in 1991. I worked briefly as a designer of ceramic lamps and 3D animation, but founded my own factory of wood furniture for home and for the hospitality industry in 1995. Since then and always, design has been an axis in which my life rotates, much of the events of each day, passing by an evolution of brands and furniture design very diverse standards. In 2012, encouraged by my publicist, I decided to create a design brand with my name, to include the most high-end designs to which I had never given proper space due to lack of time and feasibility of manufacturing.

Inspiration is the trigger element of my high-end designs. The intention is to communicate through the shape, color, the texture and the emotional sensation that it generates. In my own way of seeing it, it is to try to make the design communicate emotions and inspire in the same way that an art work does, but in a more personal and perfect way, because it interacts with the user, allowing them to use their piece of art, sitting in it, or keeping their belongings in it, sleeping on it or eating in it, in a personal relationship that allows you to experience the art of that piece, but in a physical way. The process always begins with an emotion or idea to be communicated, followed by the study of shapes by means of drawings by hand, to then elaborate more concrete designs in CAD. It is necessary in some cases to physically build real pieces first, that due to the difficulty of their form, it is very difficult to decipher them on CAD or even express them on paper. From there, final prototypes are developed, which are evaluated from various aspects such as resistance, ergonomics, and production methods. to finally deliver the resulting design with all the aspects taken into account in its best possible way.

There are very few things in life I enjoy so much as creating, designing and developing, which are three different words for the same thing to me. It is the need to communicate and inspire what leads me to design and create, in an attempt to express myself and positively influence the mood of the people. We live in a world that passes us by at a dizzying speed surrounded by things with very little meaning, making us feel at the end of the day that our day did not have any memorable meaning. It is through art, and even better, through an art piece that can interact with us, that we can begin to give a more transcendent meaning to our activities, generating an emotive impulse that gives off reflection, amazement, happiness.

All my life I have lived with art and design. The multiple trips that I had in my childhood around Mexico and the world, opened my mind to a multicultural cosmopolitan concept, without losing sight of my roots and the emotional charge that emanates from them. The eroticism and the dream of flying, the fun of observing the unexpected reactions and the astonishment generated by the innovation have constantly moved me to continue designing and evolving a lot from one design to the next. The great advantage of having worked for so many years building furniture has been central to the development of designs, to take them beyond paper, in a very short time.

I'm at an interesting moment in my life. So far the main occupation has been to attend as the director a furniture factory, occupying much of my time in rather administrative work and industrial development. In the upcoming years, I would like to dedicate more time of my life to design and create a high profile design brand, for which the conceptual part of the brand is being designed, based on my way of designing and expressing art, unrestricted only to the furniture design but in a much more extensive and versatile way. I am looking for a founding commercial partner for the brand, so that growth is faster and with global projection, so I can devote myself more to designing rather than managing. My dream is to transcend my life time not only with my designs, but with my philosophical concepts about this, the optimism and naturalness with which I look at nature, the human body, eroticism, creativity and the assault into senses as a whole.

The mind of a designer in its golden age is like a delicious dish in the best restaurant. It is only achieved with the best ingredients and a great cooking experience, seasoned with creativity and the subtlety of your senses. My advice is that you get quality elements to fill your mind. Art, nature, positive emotional experiences, travel as much as you can knowing different cultures and their myths and legends, as well as their vision of the cosmos. Read and educate yourself, develop what is designed. Start with more basic things, it is very frustrating to start with very difficult things that you can not conclude satisfactorily. Be daring: that would be my biggest advice. Do not be afraid, go for your dreams and never give up, design is not a goal, it's a journey!

Never lose sight that everything is designed for people. So the ergonomics and the usefulness of the design must always be considered. In my vision, beauty is nevertheless a substantial part of ergonomics. A design can not be ergonomic if it bothers the senses (any of them). Design communicating something, people are surrounded by too many meaningless things, which makes their lives meaningless, make sure your designs are the thing that takes them out of the ordinary.

As I mentioned, I am now trying to change the fact that my agenda takes up a large part of my day in managing a company with more than 100 employees. I have never stopped designing and putting head in each of the pieces that are produced and I enjoy tremendously the time that I dedicate to design my lidea of high profile, for which I dedicate all my energy and experience, as well as diverse resources that I have in the company, as is the great work team that I have by my side, which allows me to move very quickly from the concept to the final piece. I am about to receive my license as a pro-avion pilot, with which I will fulfill my second greatest dream from childhood, which is to fly, to be a pilot and go by myself to see nature from my own perspective. My family occupies the most important part of my life. To procure welfare, be an example to follow, and to be protector and leader for them, makes each morning a beautiful challenge and enjoyment at the same time.

My designs are based on elements of inspiration, so design trends take part in a very secondary way when creating. It is a fact, however, that we are all immersed in a moment of design and not only can we not be alien to it, but we must be aware that it must be designed to harmonize in a certain way with what everyone at some time lives and experiences, however, it is widely pleasant to separate oneself a little from the tendencies and from time to time.

There are several perspectives from which a design can be evaluated, for example from how efficiently and creatively it solves a problem, or from the approach of style and beauty. My favorite perspective of design analysis is the ability to project or unleash an emotion, the beauty and harmony of the shapes it represents, in conjunction with a story immersed in the design that gives it a name and surname, as the roots of the word Design (di-segno, signed or done by), which means that the object has the implied signature of the author, their personal seal, their DNA.

This is very interesting. In my case, it's a singular moment, like when you're trying to tune an instrument like a guitar and the sounds do not produce harmony until all the strings are in the right tension and an enjoyable music sounds not only in the brain but in the whole body. As one becomes more demanding, a single chord is not enough and you look for a more complex piece that produces more complete music that makes us vibrate beyond the ears!

I think I have not yet faced what I would call my most challenging design, however, I am now designing my new residence, finally it has been possible to bring together many ideas, concepts and designs that I have accumulated throughout my life, and has been in many ways one of my most cherished dreams. This is perhaps the most ambitious project that I have had yet, and the client has been quite difficult to satisfy... but I am enjoying the adventure tremendously!

I think that I do not really have a favorite designer really, because my appreciation of modern times changes and evolves constantly. Without a doubt, Leonardo Da Vinci is perhaps the one I most admire, and if I have some that I consider to be the main pillars of modern design on which I have tried to learn from at one time or another they are Coco Chanel, Le Corbusier, Charles and Ray Eames, Alvar and Elissa Aalto, Arne Jacobsen, Giorgio Armani, Philippe Starck, and many others. More than anything I have great admiration for artists like Picasso, Dali, Klimt, Van Gogh, among others for the ability to surprise and innovate, as well as the strength of what they communicate.

It is difficult for me. I do not fit in a particular style, my life is very diverse, but trying to do it, I would say that I was born Mexican, I also became French, but I was educated as a citizen of the world. I love art and art is part of all my days. I like nature and exploring the wonders of the earth and space, travel and learn all cultures and vibrate with them, incorporate some of them into my thinking and feeling. I like to fly planes and very soon I will fulfill my dream of being a pilot. Creating and amazing is my most precious sport and my favorite city is Milan. My favorite country is India, my home is Mexico. But above all this, my family is everything, my wife and children wake me every day with more enthusiasm to succeed and move forward.

My business philosophy is based on a couple of phrases, "there are two classes of people: Those who expect things to happen and those that make things happen", and "if you're going to do something, do it right" Teamwork is fundamental. It is because of this that any person multiplies in capacity and achievements. I thank my team very much, starting with my family and without leaving behind any of the collaborators I have had. The key for me is to fall in love to achieve. Feel proud to beat yourself a little each day and be someone better. I look for people who want to learn and who are passionate about what they do. It is the key to success. The day I stop learning, it will be the most boring day of my life. Creating or being creative is the most fun thing in the world; You do not always reach the goal faster but you always have more fun on the road!

To reach where I have arrived today, has given me the possibility to inspire people, especially I like very much to positively influence young people ... get them out of monotony and conformism, and lead them to educate themselves more and love beauty. Also support local communities to help them meet their most basic needs and mainly feel they are important to someone and can achieve more with their own efforts. I still have a lot to contribute in this area, and I want to have more opportunities to apply the design in favor of a greater good to the community, however in Mexico design is not yet a public issue, much less popular. We must encourage the government and society in general to appreciate the design to create those opportunities.

For me, design is the catalyst for development excellence. Conscious of the fact that my country needs to learn and appreciate about design, while also recognizing that there are designers of great value (little known) in Mexico, I decided to compete internationally here first to know in a certain way how valuable my work can be, and achieving this, to call the world to look towards Mexico, and to show them that there is a lot of talent here to wake up, that there is a great cultural and artistic value to develop so that most of the population can enjoy it, projecting for the moment that there are many designers here ready to enter the world market, given the opportunity to compete in forums like this and succed.

My mother is an Interior Designer, so I was always fascinated by design and I was very close to her work. Since I was a child I loved visiting museums and traveling very much, this broadened my horizons, which make my designs influenced by many cultures and landscapes besides y own. After high school I studied Industrial Design at the University of Monterrey (UDEM) in México, where I expanded my knowledge in design, besides having a passion for painting and arts. Since then, I have worked twenty years in the furniture sector, designing pieces for hospitality and home.

I have a passion for art, and a way to transform art into a physical and useful way, my purpose is to create furniture so I can communicate and express emotions and ideas, through shapes, textures and colors.

I chose it, it came naturally as my mother was an Interior Designer and I have always been close to the field, but she never forced me or tried to convince me to pick a design career, in fact I´m the only one out of four children that works in the field.

Furniture for homes, conceptual design, with a functional and aesthetic approach.

Fill their head with positive experiences, travel and rise their horizons beyond their immediate circle. Gain experience, producing real products, and never stop dreaming.

The reason behind your designs, the idea, the functionality. A good designer thinks of different solutions, and have good concepts, but a great designer makes unique solutions, makes aesthetic designs, which involves the concept and the function of the design and puts them together into shapes that communicate the idea.

A great design communicates, amuses and has an adds for society in a tasteful manner. A good design only solves a need.

Design is the motor of human evolution, is the initiator of the great advances in society.

I would love to design the furniture and lighting for a luxury hotel in Dubai.

Design based on ideas and feelings that I want to communicate in a visual or tactile way, creating the greatest interaction with the user as possible.

Juice Salif by Phillip Starck, because it astonishes, it communicates and is useful in an elegant way. Heydar Aliyev Center by Zaha Hadid, because it revolutions the senses and amazes the subconscious, it inspires.

The Aero Collection, because it intends to emulate the 20’s spirit of freedom, an era with no limits for your dreams.

To be sensible to beauty, be surrounded by it and enjoy the feeling of creating something different that inspires people.

An Sculptor, I´ve always been captivated by art and the production of objects.

Design is the art of innovate in order to solve a problem in an elegant a beautiful way.