top of page
VETRILITE
ART GLASS LAMINATE
Havana Nights
Havana Nights is a collection dedicated to Art Decò design and the connection between Miami Beach and Havana.
Living in Miami Beach you can meet a lot of Cubans and you listen to some great stories about Havana. It is hard not to be attracted by its beauty and its complicated past.
HN100 M - aka Miramar
Miramar is a neighborhood in Havana where in 1927 we have the first appearance of the Art Decò movement that ushers in a new wave of design. Prior to the revolution the Miramar neighborhood was home to many of Havana's upscale residences. This district and the Country Club (Cubanacán) were the most glamorous spaces in the Havana of the 50s. There were also some of Havana's more modern hotels, such as Hotel Melia Habana, Oasis Panorama Hotel and Occidental Miramar. The landmark Art Decò building of the Russian Embassy is located here.
HN200 M - Moderna Poesia
Since its opening in the late
1920’ La Moderna Poesia bookstore in Havana
became a favorite in the
city. So beloved by Cubans
that after the revolution and
the exodus to Miami, a
bookstore with the same
name opened in Little
Havana. The Art Decò
building shows the sober
interplay of lines and
volumes. In our design lines
and volumes play together
in a different playful way to signify the connection between Havana and Miami.
1920’ La Moderna Poesia bookstore in Havana
became a favorite in the
city. So beloved by Cubans
that after the revolution and
the exodus to Miami, a
bookstore with the same
name opened in Little
Havana. The Art Decò
building shows the sober
interplay of lines and
volumes. In our design lines
and volumes play together
in a different playful way to signify the connection between Havana and Miami.
HN300 M - aka El Tiempo
Nested in the vestibule of the Edificio (building) López Serrano with its Red Moroccan marble walls, EL TIEMPO is a nickel-silver relief designed by Cuban most famous graphic designer: Enrique García Cabrera. Its design reflect the obsession with time and the increased mechanization of the world during the 20th century.
Our Design is a tribute to this marvelous piece, where the time is symbolized by three different circles.
Our Design is a tribute to this marvelous piece, where the time is symbolized by three different circles.
HN400 M - aka The America
The Rodríguez Vázquez apartment building, built by Fernando Martínez Campos and Pascual de Rojas in 1941, towers over the Teatro América. The América’s interior curves contrast with the unadorned linear mint and green facade of the apartment block. Inside, a double curved staircase rises around a circular terrazzo floor embedded with art deco signs of the zodiac. It was this connection between the inside of the theater and its outside that inspired our design. The America was the first movie theater with Air Conditioning in Havana.
HN500 M - aka Catalina
In 1905 Cuba did not have divorce laws and so, married socialite Catalina Lasa and landowner and widower Juan Pedro Baró have to escape to Paris to continue their love affair. The couple was inseparable and after their return and Catalina’s death in 1930, Barò commissioned French glass master René Lalique to design her tomb (pictured). Today the mausoleum is visited by thousand of people because of its beauty and because of its amazing angels’ door. Their love story was an inspiration for our design.
HN600 M - aka Tropicana
El Tropicana, a cabaret in Havana, launched on December 30, 1939 at the Villa Mina in Marianao. It evolved out of a nightclub called Edén Concert, owned by Cuban impresario Victor de Correa, when two casino operators approach him to create a new venture that was combining casino and cabaret, partly in an outdoor setting (Villa Mina). The operators felt the tropical gardens of Villa Mina would provide a natural setting for an outdoor cabaret. It was an immediate success. During our research we stumbled upon many pictures of the Tropicana, one of which depicted a dancer. She was our inspiration.
HN700 M - aka Hidden Treasures
Our research for this collection, took us in many different places and especially we discovered the architectural and cultural beauty of Havana. We read many articles about a new emphasis on restoring (as much as possible) Havana’s stunning buildings. Hidden Treasures is a tribute to the work done by many to bring back to their glory these magnificent buildings. The three rings symbolize the main architectural styles we can find in Havana: the Neoclassical Colonial, the Art Decò and, the Art Nouveau.
HN 800 M - aka Fiesta
Inspired by the painting Fiesta En El Batey (1927), Eduardo Abela.
Eduardo Abela (1889–1965) was a Cuban painter and comics artist, born in San Antonio de los Baños, he studied at the San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts, graduating in 1921. After living abroad form many years, Eduardo travels back to Cuba where his painting become a celebration of the cuban way of life in the country side. The rhythm and musicality of Fiesta En El Batey was so palpable, we were almost transfixed by it.
Eduardo Abela (1889–1965) was a Cuban painter and comics artist, born in San Antonio de los Baños, he studied at the San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts, graduating in 1921. After living abroad form many years, Eduardo travels back to Cuba where his painting become a celebration of the cuban way of life in the country side. The rhythm and musicality of Fiesta En El Batey was so palpable, we were almost transfixed by it.
HN900 M - aka Malecón
The Malecón, officially Avenida de Maceo, is roadway, and seawall that stretches for 8 km (5 miles) along the coast in Havana. Starting from the mouth of the harbor in Old Havana, along the north side of the center neighborhood The Malecón travels through the Vedado neighborhood and ends at the tunnel underneath the Almendares River. The construction of the Malecón began in 1901 during a temporary US military rule on the Island. It is without a doubt one of the World’s most famous street.
HN1000 M - aka La Setenta
We started from Miramar, and with La Setenta (Playa 70) we go back to Miramar to pay tribute to the surfing culture of Cuba. This beach is considered by many as the best spot in the city, sitting right in front on another art decò gem: The Russian Embassy.
HN1100 M - aka Buenavista
In 1997 the world was suddenly exposed to a remarkable album, recorded ithe previous year in Havana: Buena Vista Social Club. Originally thought as a way to showcase the African roots of cuban music, a group of African musicians was supposed to play along a group of Cuban Musicians. Sadly the African part of it, never made it to Cuba for bureaucratic reasons. Left without half of their musicians, American producers Nick Gold and Ry Cooder decided to move along since they had already rented the studio were the recording was going to happen.
The result was a masterpiece, recorded in only 6 days. Buena Vista Social Club sold millions of copies and it is #260 in Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of all Time. Their live was also captured by Wim Wenders in a documentary with the same title.
The 3 circles are a tribute to three key musicians of the group: Company Secundo, Ruben Gonzáles and Ibrahim Ferrer who died in the early 2000’.
The result was a masterpiece, recorded in only 6 days. Buena Vista Social Club sold millions of copies and it is #260 in Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of all Time. Their live was also captured by Wim Wenders in a documentary with the same title.
The 3 circles are a tribute to three key musicians of the group: Company Secundo, Ruben Gonzáles and Ibrahim Ferrer who died in the early 2000’.
HN1200 M - aka Rhythm of Life
Havana has its now rhythm, like a timeless postcard. It is the people, the music and the food that make time go by either slightly faster or slower, deepening on the time of the day.
Our design is an homage to understanding that life is to be lived, regardless of your rhythm.
Our design is an homage to understanding that life is to be lived, regardless of your rhythm.
bottom of page