Esrawe + Cadena designs fragrance 'temple' for Xinú in Oaxaca

Mexico City-based design team Esrawe + Cadena has created a new retail showroom for its fragrance brand Xinú in Oaxaca, located within the courtyard of a colonial residence that now houses the restaurant Criollo. The small, dimly lit room is enveloped in matte black, with a central ziggurat of black-cement blocks inspired by the basaltic prisms of San Antonio el Mogote. The stepped structure serves as a display for ephemera such as dried plants, incense, stones, and Xinú products. Some blocks are imprinted with leaves, revealing ghostly impressions through shadow play. Brand text is etched into the walls in Spanish and English, softly lit by spotlights. A single rectangular opening in the ceiling casts a shifting shaft of natural light across the space. The design evokes a temple and altar, according to the team. Earlier Xinú retail spaces include a wooden pavilion in Mexico City longlisted for a Dezeen Award in 2024. Founders Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena have collaborated on projects ranging from spinning chairs at an Arkansas festival to a Mexico City cafe with faceted clay panels. Photography by Alejandro Ramírez Orozco.