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This first episode of 2026 of The Color Authority podcast features an in-depth conversation with Salvador Reyes and Josefina Larrain of the Mérida-based studio Reyes Rios + Larrain Arquitectos. The discussion centres on the studio’s philosophy of "living heritage," where they restore historic Yucatecan haciendas and manor houses not as static monuments, but as functional, contemporary spaces that preserve ancestral knowledge and memory. Design Studio based in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, founded by architect Salvador Reyes Ríos and Josefina Larraín Lagos. Since 2001, they have equally devoted themselves to contemporary architectural design and restoration of old haciendas, manor houses, buildings, and heritage sites, adapting them for new, compatible uses. A local and modern sensibility, combined with a comprehensive approach to architecture, interior design, furniture, landscaping, and construction coordination, characterizes their new buildings and restoration/reuse projects. Other contributions to Mexican architecture include the revival and reinterpretation of local materials and techniques, such as Chukum-based mortar and structural concrete blended with red earth known as kancab. Reyes Ríos + Larraín are also recognized for creating an original architectural language that has shaped the contemporary identity of Yucatán’s built environment, as well as the ongoing experimentation with local materials and processes. Their work has been featured in specialized books and magazines across the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America, earning both national acclaim and international visibility. The book Place, Matter, and Belonging, published in two editions by Arquine in 2017, is the first monograph dedicated to their body of work. The studio is currently designing projects in Mexico, United States and Dominican Republic. Support the show Thank you for listening! Follow us through our website or social media! https://www.thecolorauthority.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/the_color_authority_/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/78120219/admin/

Jerusalemite designer Lameice Abu Aker creates at the intersection of emotional resonance and cultural memory, exploring how form, color, and material embody the poetry of domestic rituals. Now based between Jerusalem and Milan, where she earned her Master’s in Furniture Design from Politecnico di Milano, her work fuses Mediterranean nostalgia with sculptural whimsy. In 2021, she founded Ornamental by Lameice, a studio dedicated to glassware that blurs the line between sculpture and tableware. Collaborating closely with a family of artisans in the Palestinian village of Jaba’, where glassblowing is a centuries-old tradition, Lameice introduced an unprecedented palette of pastel hues and whimsical designs as an entirely new chromatic language within their heritage of earth and fire. Each piece is shaped without molds or mechanical constraint, allowing the molten glass to reveal its own peculiar grace. The artisan’s breath lingers in every curve; light, once captured, seems reluctant to leave. Drawn to the table as a stage for life’s theatre, Lameice designs vessels that hold moments of dates, spirited debates, and family stories in awkward elegance, unexpected colors, and playful forms that carry optimism, intimacy, and the sense that the object might be a character of its own. Her collections Dreamlike, Eye Candy, and Teta Edition have been exhibited internationally from Paris and London to New York, Singapore and Monaco, each piece a small ambassador of whimsy, heritage, and light. Support the show Thank you for listening! Follow us through our website or social media! https://www.thecolorauthority.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/the_color_authority_/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/78120219/admin/

Geraldine Wharry is one of the world's leading Fashion Futurists. As a Regenerative Futures Architect, she helps partners decode emergence and implement change, whilst adopting strategies leveraging creative, systemic and environmental imperatives. Trusted by organisations ranging from Nike, Samsung, Afterpay, Christian Dior to Seymour Powell, Geraldine's blend of strategic, regenerative and creative foresight has been applied across fashion, beauty, technology, sustainability, culture, media, gaming, the arts, health, travel and industrial design. Geraldine is also a regular speaker on stages ranging from SXSW to the Adidas global headquarters.  Her views on a future of fashion that stands at the crossroads of Tech, Purpose and Sustainability are regularly featured on the BBC, Vogue, The Financial Times, BoF and other international press publications. She writes about strategic futures for Dazed Beauty and in her monthly column 'Tomorrow' for Spur Magazine in Japan. Questioning established future foresight methods and innovation implementation problems, by applying regenerative futures thinking and Biomimicry, has been a running thread in Geraldine's practice and the school community hybrid she founded, Trend Atelier. She is a regular guest lecturer at leading universities in Europe. As a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts and a member of the United Nations' Conscious Fashion & Lifestyle network, Geraldine Wharry's mission is to inspire leaders, industries and people to enact visionary futures, for the greater good of the people and planet. Support the show Thank you for listening! Follow us through our website or social media! https://www.thecolorauthority.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/the_color_authority_/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/78120219/admin/

This first autumn podcast episode features Finnish fashion designer Sofia Ilmonen, who discusses her approach to creating modular, transformable garments that can be reshaped and reassembled like building blocks. Ilmonen details how her use of simple square or rectangular modules contributes to her sustainability goals. She also explains her focus on "sizeless" garments aiming to increase longevity by addressing the poor fit, which she identifies as one of the biggest reasons for discarding clothing.  Sofia Ilmonen is a fashion designer whose work centres on modular, transformable clothing that merges sustainability with innovative garment design. At the core of her concept is adaptability — both in silhouette and size — with the aim of promoting a more responsible and inclusive fashion culture. The modular approach extends garment lifespans by allowing pieces to be reassembled and reshaped endlessly. All garments are built from square-shaped modules, a form that not only follows zero-waste cutting principles but also embodies the idea of continuous design. Each module is compatible with any part of a garment and is joined using a unique system of specially designed 3D-printed buttons. This enables infinite transformations without sewing and makes the garments sizeless, adaptable to many body shapes and styles. Sofia’s work has been presented in international exhibitions and featured in publications such as British and Scandinavian Vogue. Her Aalto University thesis was recognized with the Marimekko Award and the Finnish Textile and Fashion Prize, and she received the prestigious Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Prize at the Festival de Hyères. Her modular collections have also been showcased at Berlin and Copenhagen Fashion Weeks. Before founding her own label, Sofia worked extensively in London in roles ranging from seamstress and creative pattern cutter to designer. Her three years at Alexander McQueen, immersed in the world of high fashion and craftsmanship, left a profound influence on her design philosophy and continue to shape her practice today. Support the show Thank you for listening! Follow us through our website or social media! https://www.thecolorauthority.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/the_color_authority_/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/78120219/admin/

Laura Luchtman talks to TCA about her journey from fast fashion to sustainable fashion looking for a greater purpose. She experiments with natural pigments and materials, always searching for solutions to problems that exist in the fashion and textile industry. In this episode, Laura explains how she experiments with color-growing bacteria and how this process creates a new aesthetic, researching to answer that big question: can our what we wear heal us?  Laura Luchtman was born in the Netherlands where she lives and works in Rotterdam. She is a textile and surface designer investigating the social, cultural, and ecological dimensions of color. She develops new ways to experience color through bio-based pigments, inclusive systems, and translating color and pattern across different contexts. From her chromatic atelier Kukka in Rotterdam, she works with brands like Puma, ranging from conceptual presentations to applied collections. Her research into sustainable dyes highlights her hands-on approach and commitment to conscious design. Laura’s work has been shown globally, published, and presented at TEDx. In 2023, she won the DNA Paris Design Award for Chromarama Riso. Support the show Thank you for listening! Follow us through our website or social media! https://www.thecolorauthority.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/the_color_authority_/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/78120219/admin/

Nieves Contreras talks about what inspires her and how she wants to take design, material and in particular color out of context. She explains how material and processing have become part of the innovative brand Lladrò, what are the challenges for the Spanish design market in the next years and how AI may influence the return to true craftsmanship.  Graduated in Industrial Design as well as a Master's in Design Management from UPV in Valencia. She has developed a significant part of her professional career in Paris, France, collaborating with product design studios, creating designs and artistic direction for various sectors, from furniture and home appliances to luxury brands and connected objects, at studios such as Marc Berthier, Pascal Mourgue, and particularly eliumstudio, where she worked for 10 years. Simultaneously, she has been active as an independent designer, deeply involved in craftsmanship and its contemporary renewal, creating furniture for Expormim, and as the co-founder and creative director of the handmade ceramic brand sagenceramics (Manises). Since 2019, she has been the Creative Director of Lladró, a Spanish porcelain company recognized internationally, heading the Creation and Development Department, consisting of a team of 15 people. She is responsible for the creation and implementation of the new creative strategy and the revitalization of the brand through product diversification and a contemporary approach. Support the show Thank you for listening! Follow us through our website or social media! https://www.thecolorauthority.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/the_color_authority_/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/78120219/admin/

In this very frank and open conversation Mohamad Baitie talks about how color reflects cultural heritage, the decolonization of design, and the desire to be seen. This podcast is a look into Middle Eastern aesthetics challenging Western norms and reclaiming visual identity.  With a master’s Degree in interior architecture, Mohamad Baitie has an expansive knowledge of color, color forecasting, color design and architectural coatings. Mohamad was born in Lebanon and grew up in Accra, Ghana, constantly moving with the family and being exposed to different cultures. His first encounter with color came through a dual interaction, Smarties and Lego. He was constantly amazed by how color shapes objects and defines the way we interact with them. Architecture was his obvious choice, where color, light and shadow are intertwined. Today, with over 22 years of experience in marketing and communication in the paint industry, working for one of the top multinational paint brands as Business Development Director, GLC Paints. He has led the brand identity transformation of GLC Paints and is thoroughly involved in product research and development within the organization. He also took the role of professor of Color at the American University of Cairo, teaching color theory, color practice and color psychology. As part of the CMG organization, through GLC Paints, he attends the yearly global summit on color forecasting and does his own color talks and color workshops within the MENA region. Support the show Thank you for listening! Follow us through our website or social media! https://www.thecolorauthority.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/the_color_authority_/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/78120219/admin/

This episode is filled with information on intentional trends within a variety of industries yet with a special focus on the culinary industry. Cécile talks to us about how the the trend forecasting industry has changed with the current speed of information reaching us and how this has resulted more in trend provocation whereas there is a great need for trend curation to truly help out businesses in finding answers in a difficult economical climate.  Cécile Poignant is French, born and raised in Paris. She is a futurist specializing in contemporary lifestyles for the past 35 years. Her expertise lies in detecting weak signals and connecting the dots to anticipate major future shifts. She has worked with international brands such as Nissan, Swatch, Philips, L’Oréal, and P&G. Always on the lookout, she observes and deciphers emerging needs and evolving behaviors.  Cécile is also actively involved in international conferences and frequently conducts workshops for professionals. She loves teaching and sharing her insights at various institutions, including IFM, ENSAD, and the American University of Paris. Her greatest passion is curiosity—she is constantly seeking to better understand the world around her. You’ll often find her sipping an excellent Japanese green tea, savoring high-quality dark chocolate, or immersed in a book. Nature is her ultimate source of rejuvenation; in another life, she might have been a landscape designer. Support the show Thank you for listening! Follow us through our website or social media! https://www.thecolorauthority.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/the_color_authority_/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/78120219/admin/

Together with design hunter Evelien Reich, we dive into the essence of Milan Design Week 2025. She shares her favorite installations, the standout colors, materials and textures of the week. Which are the key themes that defined this year’s edition and how has Milan Design Week changed over the past years? Listen to our conversation on all that is Milano! Evelien Reich is the editor-in-chief of MANERA Benelux, a new English-language addition to the MANERA family, that is set to launch in September. With a decades-long career in media, she has built up extensive expertise in design and interiors. Evelien is a sought-after host at design events and is known for her sharp eye and deep understanding of interior aesthetics. She has a particular passion for the power of color in homes—how it shapes atmosphere, brings joy, and makes spaces feel alive. Support the show Thank you for listening! Follow us through our website or social media! https://www.thecolorauthority.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/the_color_authority_/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/78120219/admin/

Australian Bree Banfield shares with us her passion for color surprises in interiors, how color comes intuitively to her and how the light down under changes the color game completely. Listen to our conversation and receive valuable insights to the color selection process for home interiors.  With an extensive career spanning 30 years, Bree Banfield is an Interior Designer renowned for her expertise in trend forecasting and styling. A maestro in color, Bree approaches each project with a commitment to creating aesthetically appealing and emotionally rich spaces. Her projects, marked by surprises in color, pattern play, and innovative use of scale, reflect a passion for gently pushing boundaries and intuitively understanding her clients' brief. Beyond her role as an Interior Designer, she stands as a visionary trend forecaster, shaping the contemporary landscape of Australian interiors with her forward-thinking aesthetic. Support the show Thank you for listening! Follow us through our website or social media! https://www.thecolorauthority.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/the_color_authority_/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/78120219/admin/

In this episode Melania shares her story about how she went from being too much to finding her own voice, how color became the main driver in her work and how she wants to bridge the gap between the intrinsic variety of Mexican culture and the world of the arts. Learn about how she expresses these elements through her own body and person.  Fashion and Textile Designer with a degree from Centro de Diseño, Cine y Televisión (CDMX) and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp, Belgium). Born and raised in Mexico City, she works on a diverse range of projects within the creative industries, spanning fashion, arts, design, styling, journalism, and creative direction. With nearly 10 years of experience, she has developed numerous dynamic design projects aimed at fostering and promoting a stronger fashion identity for Mexican culture from a contemporary and international perspective. In 2015, Melania launched her design project, CDMX11000, inspired by the surreal architectural language of Mexico City. This project has evolved through social media platforms, using photography to create a visual language where local arts, design, traditions, and culture are seamlessly integrated with fashion. Through the interplay of colors, textures, shapes, and prints, the project highlights specific theories, aesthetics, and concepts. Her continuous collaboration with other creatives led her to share their stories and projects through DNA Magazine, an innovative fashion media outlet. There, she writes to spotlight emerging talents and guide the next generation of creative professionals. Support the show Thank you for listening! Follow us through our website or social media! https://www.thecolorauthority.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/the_color_authority_/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/78120219/admin/

Which way better to start the new season than with Brazilian creative Michell Lott. In this episode, Michell shares insights on how he uses color to stay in touch with his emotions to navigate life more easily, how warm colors increase happiness for 2025 and how AI allows him to work quicker yet without taking over his creativity.  Based in São Paulo, the multidisciplinary creator has made a name for himself by envisioning and delivering majestic, immersive, colorful, and playful productions that capture the spirit of the times in striking visuals – whether for campaigns and editorials, installations in collaboration with brands from various sectors, or impactful sponsored content shared on Instagram. A journalist by training, he fell in love with the visual universe while working as a journalist at Casa Vogue. Since pursuing a solo career, he has worked as a set designer, creative director, design curator, multidisciplinary creator, and, for the past four years, as a color consultant and trend researcher in collaboration with Suvinil. His main objective is to make life prettier creating his own reality.  Support the show Thank you for listening! Follow us through our website or social media! https://www.thecolorauthority.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/the_color_authority_/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/78120219/admin/

In this final podcast for 2024, TCA spoke to interior designer Maye Ruiz, the Mexican queen of color about the perfect color combination, listening to the genius loci of a house, breaking color myths, imposter syndrome, and how color is her religion in life.  Maye Ruiz, the creative mind and founder of MAYE, an interior design studio established in 2021, has rapidly established herself as a trailblazer in the design industry. A proud graduate of Universidad de la Salle Bajío in 2008, Maye combines her solid academic foundation with a visionary approach to interior design. In 2023, she was awarded by Architectural Digest and named one of the 100 most influential creatives in Latin America. Her accolade for Best Restaurant Design further solidified her reputation as a visionary in interior design. Her projects have been featured in prestigious design publications, including Dezeen, Architectural Digest (AD), and Elle Decor, highlighting her bold and distinctive approach to color and style. Maye’s work is celebrated for its trend-setting aesthetics and unlimited creativity, continuously shaping the future of the design industry. Beyond these recognitions, Maye has collaborated with renowned creative partners and brands, further elevating her position as a leader in her field. Her commitment to pushing design boundaries and delivering excellence continues to set her apart as an innovator and influencer in interior design. In addition to leading MAYE, Maye Ruiz has passionately shared her expertise in design through academia. From 2015 to 2022, she taught courses, delivered lectures, and conducted workshops at prestigious Mexican institutions, including the Universidad Iberoamericana, Tecnológico de Monterrey, and Centro de Diseño, Cine y TV. She also collaborated on the diploma program for the Latin American adaptation of content by the renowned U.S. publisher Condé Nast, further enriching the region's design education landscape. Support the show Thank you for listening! Follow us through our website or social media! https://www.thecolorauthority.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/the_color_authority_/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/78120219/admin/

Fernando Laposse is not only a true inspiration but a great storyteller. His designs are constructed throughout deep levels of culture, challenges, heritage and his great love for his home country Mexico. During our interview we talked about the essential importance of provenance, material, natural pigment and showcasing the story of indigenous communities and their daily struggles through his design work.  Fernando Laposse is a Mexican designer with a degree in product design from Central St. Martins. His practice is material driven and focuses on transforming humble materials into refined design pieces, promoting their regenerative possibilities and tackling environmental issues. For Fernando, the material source and cultural context is of extreme importance. This has led him to forge a long-standing collaboration with Tonahuixtla, a community of Mixtec farmers in the south of Mexico. Rather than working with existing craft, Fernando develops new techniques from scratch which are then taught to members of the community. This in turn creates new sources of employment that revitalise traditional agriculture. Fernando’s projects also strive to communicate the complexity of issues like the loss of biodiversity, erosion, indigenous rights, migration, and the negative impacts of global trade on local agriculture. He does so by documenting the problems and announcing possible resolutions through the transformative power of craft and design. Fernando Laposse focuses on using lesser-known plant fibers like sisal, loofah, totomoxtle, and avocado in his work. He invests time in research to create pieces that not only showcase these materials but also highlight their connection to the culture and history of specific places and their people. Laposse works with indigenous communities in Mexico to help create jobs and bring attention to the challenges they face in today's world. His projects aim to educate and inform, addressing issues such as environmental decline, loss of biodiversity, community breakdown, migration, and the negative effects of global trade on local farming and food traditions. Laposse leads the way in documenting these problems and suggesting solutions through the power of design, showing how design can help make a difference. Support the show Thank you for listening! Follow us through our website or social media! https://www.thecolorauthority.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/the_color_authority_/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/78120219/admin/

In this very open and frank conversation, Christophe speaks about how color influences their projects, what are crucial elements for the success of their work and the difficulties they came across on their design journey and the challenge to innovate and pick projects that reflect their values. Connection, Rebellion, Artisan and Sensory, that is what Masquespacio is all about.  Christophe Penasse was born the 4th of March 1983 in a small city next to the capital of Belgium, Brussels. Since a very young age his mother taught him to be a saver. Something that motivates him to sell his old games on trail markets and to his friends. When he was 15 years old while he studied Commerce in his country, during holidays and his free time he started to work for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in Brussels. Being music his passion, at the same time he started to buy and sell records online. After finishing his college studies he went to study marketing in Mechelen, next to Antwerp, while he continued to work during his free time at Sony giving a helping hand to the commercial and marketing department, without losing his passion for music. After schooling in marketing he worked a short time for the American Enterprise Federal Express before accomplishing his dream to go live in Spain, a country that he felt in love with because of its culture and way of living. In Spain the first 5 months he only dedicated to study Spanish and its culture, to later on being contracted as a customer manager for the German cash & carry Makro. After two years of work at the customers’ department he decided to start up design studio Masquespacio with his partner Ana Milena Hernández Palacios. At Masquespacio he is in charge of the marketing and commercial department, as well as being involved in the strategic part of the creative consultancy’s projects. Masquespacio is an award winning creative consultancy created in 2010 by Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse. Combining the 2 disciplines of their founders, interior design and marketing, the Spanish design agency creates custom-made branding and interior projects through a unique approach that results in fresh and innovative concepts. In 2020 they won the EDIDA 2020 ‘Young Talent Award’ by the international network of Elle Decoration Magazine and in 2019 they have been awarded ‘Interior Designers of The Year’ by the Spanish edition of The New York Times’ T Magazine. Previously they also have been awarded with the ‘Massimo Dutti New Values’ award by Architectural Digest Spain and the ‘Wave of the Future’ award by Hospitality Design USA, next to a continued international recognition by media specialized in design, fashion and lifestyle trends. They have worked on projects in several countries like Norway, USA, France, Portugal, Germany, USA and Spain. Actually they are working on several hotel and restaurant projects in Spain, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Germany, Qatar, Singapore and Cambodia amongst others. In 2019 they also created Mas Creations a new lifestyle brand that shows their most personal vision through a universe of textures, materials and colors represented in new furniture collections as well as interiors. Support the show Thank you for listening! Follow us through our website or social media! https://www.thecolorauthority.com/podcast https://www.instagram.com/the_color_authority_/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/78120219/admin/