Sometimes you don’t need to buy something new. Sometimes you just need to look at what you already have in a different way.
When we started the transformation project at Antojicos, there was a simple, inexpensive and rather old shelving unit sitting behind the freezer.
Its only purpose was to provide storage. The problem was that it stored too many things and, because everything was visible, it added to a feeling of clutter that didn’t fit with the new look we wanted for the café.
So I decided to move it.
A new place for an old shelving unit
As part of the new layout at Antojicos, it made much more sense to place it inside the counter, where it could provide storage space for the team working there.
But to make that possible, it needed to be adapted.
We needed it to be smaller and, besides, its original appearance no longer had anything to do with the new design of the café.
And that’s where the transformation began.
Instead of buying a new shelving unit, I decided to reuse the one we already had and give it a second chance.
I took it apart and we started working on it.
Making use of leftover materials from the project
During the transformation of Antojicos, we had used pine wood to cover the walls and also to create some of the custom-made shelving.
There were some pieces of leftover wood, and I decided to use them to transform the shelving unit.
We covered the outside with the same wood, allowing the piece to start blending in with the other elements that were already part of the project.
For me, this is also an important part of interior design: not always thinking about buying something new, but looking at what we already have available and discovering what we can create with it.
A washed-paint finish for a distinctive look
Eventually, the shelving unit found its place inside the counter.
It now has a practical function, providing storage space for the team, but it is also part of the café’s aesthetic, blending in with the other materials and elements of the project.
I like this technique because it allows the wood to remain visible while creating a textured, natural and imperfect finish.
Then I aged it with wax to give it the vintage feel we were looking for in the café.
Little by little, that simple, old shelving unit began to become something completely different.
A new life inside Antojicos
Eventually, the shelving unit found its place inside the counter.
It now has a practical function, providing storage space for the team, but it is also part of the café’s aesthetic, blending in with the other materials and elements of the project.
And that’s what I like most about this transformation.
We didn’t buy a new piece of furniture.
We reused, adapted and transformed something that already existed.
Because very often, design isn’t about filling a space with new things.
It’s about observing, finding possibilities and making sure that every element has a purpose.
An old shelving unit.
Some leftover wood.
Paint, wax and a little bit of work.
And, above all, a new way of looking at things.
Reusing is also design.
And this small transformation is, for me, a very special part of the Antojicos project.
Because behind a finished space, there aren’t always big purchases or new pieces.
Sometimes there is something much simpler: the ability to see what a piece could become.
