Mariel Lozano Studio uses custom furniture to maximise compact Mexico City apartment

Mexico City-based Mariel Lozano Studio has completed the interior design and custom furniture for San Luis, a compact rental apartment in the city’s Roma neighbourhood. The project is the first property in the Stays collection, a new concept from music and design practice Mad Monk Studios that aims to offer a series of rentable residences.

The studio was tasked with optimising a tight floor plan to create a sense of tranquillity while minimising visual clutter. Custom furniture pieces were developed to fit the apartment’s specific dimensions, ensuring every square metre serves a purpose without compromising comfort or aesthetics.

Por que importa

Key facts
| Item | Detail |
| — | — |
| Project name | San Luis |
| Location | Roma neighbourhood, Mexico City |
| Design studio | Mariel Lozano Studio |
| Client concept | Stays by Mad Monk Studios |
| Design focus | Compact layout optimisation, custom furniture, clutter reduction |

Compact living strategy
San Luis is described by the studio as a response to the growing demand for well-designed small living spaces in dense urban areas. Mariel Lozano Studio approached the layout by identifying zones where multi-functional furniture could replace traditional room dividers and bulky standalone pieces. The result is a fluid interior where sleeping, living, and dining areas overlap without feeling cramped.

Contexto

Custom joinery and built-in storage play a central role. Shelving units, seating, and a fold-down table were tailored to the apartment’s geometry, reducing the need for additional freestanding furniture. The studio’s choice of a restrained material palette — light woods, neutral textiles, and matte finishes — helps maintain visual calm and makes the space appear larger.

First of a series
San Luis is the debut property for Stays, a concept developed by Mad Monk Studios, a Mexico City-based practice that works across music, design, and architecture. According to the feed summary, Stays will eventually encompass multiple rentable residences, each conceived as a distinct hospitality experience. The project signals a growing intersection between design studios and short-term rental operators, where interiors are treated as curated environments rather than standard furnished units.

Mariel Lozano Studio’s involvement reflects a broader trend among architecture and design firms in Latin America: applying residential-scale thinking to hospitality projects that prioritise local character and spatial efficiency over generic luxury.

Relevance for design professionals
For readers of Paionia7, the San Luis project offers a case study in how custom furniture can resolve the tension between limited square footage and the desire for a hotel-quality stay. The approach is particularly relevant for architects and interior designers working on compact urban infill, micro-apartments, or boutique rental properties.

The project also illustrates how design studios can partner with emerging hospitality concepts to build a portfolio of repeatable but site-specific interiors. The Stays model — multiple residences under a single brand, each with a distinct designer — may become a reference point for similar initiatives in other dense cities.

Source: Dezeen, Mariel Lozano Studio “optimises compact layout” of Mexico City apartment with custom furniture, https://www.dezeen.com/2026/10/10/mad-monk-studios-san-luis-stays-mariel-lozano-studio/

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