Travel & Living

Johanna Ortiz: Carmen Home Collection

Courtesy of Johanna Ortiz

THE EXPERIENCE

A Table Between Oceans - Like her native Colombia, Johanna Ortiz's first Home Collection sets her table between two Oceans. Collecting artisanal traditions from the Pacific to the Atlantic, the collection celebrates the timeless ritual of sharing le diner.

It's fun, festive, effortless & of singular elegance.

The JO Table is about exclusively curated elements in true Johanna Ortiz style creating a decor landscape that celebrates life. It's about sophisticated handcrafts made from natural fibers and refined artisanal accents that translate the JO's "barefoot living" into festive, entertaining moments.

THE COLLECTION

Borrowing prints from her collection archives, the JO linen collection brings the spirit of the tropics to the table with details such as palms motifs & whimsical tassels. The Iraca fiber derived from a native palm, is skillfully transformed into perennial pieces that convert your entertaining prowess to higher dimensions of natural sophistication.

Unbeknownst to many, Colombia's national tree is a Palm; la "Palma de Cera". It grows in the humid forests that abound in the Colombian mountain ranges.

With her regal height, the palm is another example of Colombia's botanical treasure that serve as inspirational muses for the collection, whether hand painted, embroidered or recreated in blown glass.

JO SUSTAIN

In our road of sustainability, we are committed to collaborate with different communities of Colombian artisans, masters in the crafts heritage, with natural fibers such as Irca and Cumare, which play a very big role in our culture and traditions.

CRAFTED WITH HEART

For the placements, a magical process mixed with ritual and ancient knowledge has to be performed in order to be able to collect the raw material.

During the nights of waning moon, as the elders taught them, the men of the small rural communities collT dyeing, the women start weaving in family workshops.

The dyes, all natural, are extracted from seeds, leaves, branches, beef tongue, walnut, black cedar and minerals, providing an extensive and varied color palette.

THE ACCESSORIES

Like her characteristics flare for playfulness displayed through her collections, Johanna paired with Artesanías del Atlántico and their skilled wood carvers from Puerto Colombia to create a whimsical addition to the Home collection.

The blown glass pieces are produced by skillful artisans in Bogotá, Colombia, In the midst of the urban chaos of the capital city, this small factory is a creative haven for talented and skillful laborers, lending their expertise to translate Johanna's design aesthetics into tiny glass sculptures in the form of vinegar bottles and salt and pepper sets that will sure being a festive vibe to the table.

Each item is unique and unrepeatable since the forms are never identical evoking an air of luxury and bespoke elegance.

THE DINNERWARE

A small town called "Carmen de Viboral" rich in soil full of quartz and feldspar, is the location where the JO ceramic plate collection is created.

The Ceramic traditions of "Carmen de Viboral" are particular to this small town, and to the world. Like fingerprints, each plate is unique and individually hand painted, uniformity depends entirely on the ability of the artisan.

The variations from one plate to another only add value and character to each piece. The plate prints are freehand interpretations of archival JO prints. The artisans reproduce each motif without the use of stencils, only steady hands and love of craft.

"No matter what, nobody can take away the dances you've already had"

GABRIEL GARCÍA MÁRQUEZ

THE SOUND

Exotica style; the tropical & elegant experience of the Caribbean and the Pacific.

The collection is accompanied by Light compositions with orchestral arrangements, jazz & easy listening with a touch of exotic native calls transporting the evening to remote locations of South America.