designers
Carolyn Prevett & Mariano Piñeyrúa
Carolyn and Mariano met each other just after they started their study at the public Design University in Montevideo, now called EUCD.
Mariano: ‘During this time, we used to go for the weekends to Carolyn's family farm, and the nearest village to buy things was Garzón.
This house has an interesting history, it is the third house built in town
around the 1880s and we wanted to respect that and enhance it.
It was abandoned for many years, the tin roof was old and broken, the wood was rotten, the paint was falling, broken windows, doors, dirt, dust, spiders,cats...
We started out by cleaning it, and then to do a proper research
how it was build and what we could and liked to change to make it our
ideal studio, home and shop all in one.
We loved going to Garzon although there wasn't much going on. Our visits consisted in buying groceries in the "almacen" and then sit on the swing in the main plaza. Every time we went it was deserted, the houses shut, run-down, the streets quiet, and the plaza empty.
On a winters day we saw builders rebuil-ding a house at the plaza. Soon after we found out that it was Francis Mallmann, a famous chef and entrepreneur from Buenos Aires, who bought the place and transformed the ruin into a restaurant and a hotel.
The opening of this place was actually the start of more houses being rebuilt in the village. That new and fresh movement in the village was the reason for us, that we dared to open a small Design studio and Boutique,
pueblo garzon -
uruquay
We live mostly in Garzón.
During Summer it's amazing, we organize events in the bar-room.
In the garden we show movies, just by projecting it on a big white sheet.
We organize olive oil tastings, birthday parties, barbecues (asados) or just simple gatherings.
Winter on the other hand, is
very quiet, so we go visit friends and family in the city (Montevideo) or
travel a bit. We love the life in Garzón, it's simple, real, beautiful and
feels good to be in contact with nature.
Our first shop was small and simple, and soon it became too little then we moved to an abandoned garage on the other side of the plaza, and finally we moved to this corner on the plaza!
We enjoyed every project, because each construction had its own character and power, they were all unique, but this one we really love because it has our house too!
This was the first time we could expand our ideas into something bigger than the store area. The Garzón experience we imaged could invade the garden, de kitchen, the bar, everything!!
