luis caicedo

luis caicedo, super fine self-taught columbian artist/designer, and a bowl of cherries.

i am a big fan of caicedo style for many reasons and on many levels. first and foremost, his fantastic natural sense of style that is completely absent of formula. when i asked him about his style, luis said, "Regardless of money, I think that spaces and objects should be something that gives you real joy and pleasure. Very simple." testify!

his interiors are very individual, INTERESTING, welcoming, and beautiful. not your everyday beautiful room but a room that is beautiful AND INTERESTING. yes, i am a big fan of interesting.

luis is also a decorative painter. check out these fabulous painted floors. the unexpected colors and patterns below are fantastic. that floor will never see itself walking down the street and that's why i love it.

the bedroom below is that of a well known poet and his partner on fire island. they wanted dramatic and classic, yet modern. the artworks behind the bed are street banners from a museum show that the couple already owned. lucky ducks.

speaking of lucky ducks, in the heat of a passionate argument in chicago (where he lived at the time), luis hopped on his bike and rode off in a fit, only to find this spectacular panel (below). a church at the end of his block was falling apart and they were throwing the pieces into a dumpster, amazing pieces he says, pieces of saints and other carvings. so there he is, steaming mad and puts his head on the dumpster "and there he was....that face with those huge eyes staring at me. It was folded so all you could see were the eyes. Needless to say I almost died and got inside of the dumpster and pick them up. They were pretty huge canvases with all kinds of saints.......one is walking on fire and another is being decapitated. I ran back to to my house with my bike full of canvases one of top of the other." !!!!! this is the guy you want to dumpster dive with for real. could you imagine? ...well, moods dramatically improved and the rest of the evening was spent mounting the canvases to the dining room walls.

these maps are from an early XX century insurance book. he put them on the wall looking for something huge but not overwhelming. the result looked too "mappish" for him so he edged a circle over it. perfect.

luis does custom tile work. i dig the integrated hand vase. i imagine you could arrange for someone to hand you the soap in your custom shower instead of the flowers. or both, depending on how fancy you roll. and for this, he has just the thing...

his new soap opera line is causing a real stir. i especially like these three together. a fine hostess gift indeed, they would be beautiful in a silver bowl by the sink. there are many styles available on his website, cast from his collection of oddities around the house. the heart soap is cast from his grandmother's 17th century sacred heart so perhaps it will wash away more than you think.


his website is full of great products and projects and is worth a complete click through. can you imagine his small tree bowls with your traditional fine china? perfect for holiday ambrosia. interesting, beautiful and unexpected.


these bowls of recycled film look great. i love the idea and love that they are all different.

and finally, this is the guy that originally caught my eye. who can pass on a man with a perpetual good idea? just like his maker. one day i will meet him in person. maybe we can go through dumpsters. in bogota!

all photographs via luiscaicedo.com. i feel it.