Give your home a dose of Frida Fever
The new Frida Kahlo retrospective is feeding our appetite for all things Mexican – especially in interiors, says Claire Cohen
Speak to anyone who has visited Casa Azul, the Mexico City home of Frida Kahlo, and they will rhapsodise about colour. Painted in brilliant blue, mustard, green and orange, it is a bold and enchanting place. It is partly this vibrancy that has contributed to the fashion world’s love affair with Kahlo, with her image used on everything from shoes and tote bags to T-shirts. And nowhere was that Frida Fever more in evidence than at this week’s opening of V&A’S new exhibition Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up. Guests – including Salma Hayek, who played the artist in a 2002 biopic – wore heavily patterned dresses, statement earrings and, of course, Mexican flower crowns. It might not open until tomorrow, but the exhibition has already become its biggest seller – with 41,000 pre-booked tickets, compared to 33,000 for David Bowie in 2013.
“The public’s appetite for all things Frida appears limitless,” says Lauretta Dives, director of Retro Peepers, which has worked with the Frida Kahlo Corporation to create a reproduction of her iconic cat-eye sunglasses. “Her perceived qualities epitomise strong, contemporary, independent womanhood, all very topical in today’s climate. Who wouldn’t want a splash of bohemian, flamboyant colour and passion in their lives?”
With the exhibition showcasing exquisite photographs of Kahlo in Casa Azul, it seems certain that a spell will also be cast over our interiors, with the Frida design aesthetic making its way to homeware too. In some ways, it has already entered our homes by stealth. Take the trend for all things cactus, with the succulents having migrated from our terrariums to vases, cushions and lamp bases. Mexican colour, too, has sneaked into our living rooms with sofas in pink, cobalt blue and vibrant orange proving bestsellers, while Ikat rugs in geometric patterns feature heavily on Instagram feeds.
Wallet-friendly versions can be found at French Connection, which has a striking black and white Aztec rug in its SS18 collection, while Anthropologie’s flat-weave Dawson rug starts at just £68. A pop-up by brand Polished Coconut, at Anthropologie’s King’s Road shop, features pieces from Mexico’s famous matriarchal Isthmus of Tehuantepec region, plus hand-loomed kaftans and bags made using the ancestral methods of indigenous cultures.
Its head of creative, Luella Lane, says we are seeing a renewed bout of Frida Fever: “I think the exhibition is very much responsible for bringing her unique approach to the attention of the masses and as a result a lot of businesses are celebrating her, which I think is a great thing,” she says. It’s all in stark contrast to the monochrome Scandi style that has dominated our homes. “When you see photographs of Frida in the Blue House, she is surrounded by amazing craft, folk art, pattern and colour,” says Annabelle Dodds, senior buyer for the V&A shop.
But it doesn’t mean ditching the Marie Kondo minimalism. “Perhaps your decor is quite minimal but you can add the pop of one vibrantly decorated object,” she says.
The museum has curated a collection of homeware that will fit seamlessly into any room. There are cushions, embroidered with Kahlo’s image; hand-painted ceramics, chunky glassware with bold washes of colour, quirky prints, wooden animals and tinware, and a “Tree of Life” wall hanging made by the Otomi people of central Mexico.
The emphasis is on family businesses, says Dodds: “There will be a grandmother with skills who has passed them down the generations.”
You could start with V&A’S handmade baskets in bright stripes – or go for a statement piece, like Ian Snow’s ethically made Mexican embroidered sofa with carved wooden feet. Graham & Greene’s new collection (due in early July) features two chairs upholstered with fabric depicting the artist among foliage.
Alexander Henry’s Folklorico collection includes the popular Frida’s garden design, available from Fabric Yard, and which the V&A has used for its fitting-room curtains. Or for a ready-made option, choose Okla’s bamboo curtain, hand-painted with a picture of the artist.
Tiles are an effective way to mimic Blue House style, with London-based Milagros selling decorative and inexpensive options. “There is a big enthusiasm for all things Mexican at the moment,” says Tom Bloom, who started the business in 1990. “It goes in cycles, but with the exhibition we’re definitely seeing a peak.”
But it is possible to introduce a Frida into your home in a truly understated way. Houzz’s Frida Talavera four-piece tableware, handmade using materials from Puebla, would also look good by the barbecue. Then all you have to do is sit back, pop on a pair of cat-eye sunglasses, and hope for some Mexican sun.