ABOUT US
We are ITZ, a design studio and woodwork workshop located in Bacalar, southeast Mexico. We specialize in producing high quality furniture from many different native species of tropical hardwood.
Our pieces are handmade with passion and care, with meticulous attention to the detail. At Itz we combine a thoughtful and honest design, admiration for craft techniques, and a profound respect for the materials we work with. We believe in having less but with high quality that lasts a lifetime.
The name of our brand is based on the Mayan concept, itz, which refers to the sacred essence of things. At Itz, our essence is passion and the integrity with which we create our furniture.
TEAM
For over 10 years we have teamed up with the best carpenters and artisans of the region, some heirs of a trade and tradition of many generations. We are convinced of the importance in strengthening and preserving their talent.
Throughout the years, for many people, our workshop has become a trade school. Moreover, our team in charge of the high skill finish, details and sanding is composed only by women.
DESIGN
Ania Wolowska is a Polish-born product designer. For the past 12 years, she has been residing in Bacalar, Quintana Roo, where she discovered the world of tropical woods, the language of carpentry, and the processes that transform woodinto objects. From there, ITZ was born; a woodworking workshop and design studio that uses endemic tropical woods from southern Mexico to create contemporary furniture.
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Ania closely collaborates with local carpenters and artisans, blending design with regional talent. She finds inspiration in nature, Japanese woodworking techniques, ancestral cultures, rituals, andorigin stories.
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Further more, she believes in quality over quantity: having fewer pieces that endure a lifetime.For this reason, herintentionis to create timeless objects with simple and honest forms that highlight the natural beauty of the materials she works with.
WOOD
Our intention is that the furniture we create pays tribute to the woodwork trade and to the wood we work with, since every piece we create conserves the essence of the tree that it once was. The tree that is part of our sacred ecosystem in which we are all part of.
We honor the raw material by preserving each wood plank’s unique characteristics, such as the particularities of its grain, natural edges, small cracks and organically formed holes that together translate into a story.
We believe that furniture made from wood are pieces that are alive; wood always adapts to the changing environment, it breathes, it moves. It keeps the memories of those that use them throughout generations. It requires care and attention.
Our pieces have a finish based on natural waxes and oils that protect the surface, accentuate the grain and texture and preserve the warm feeling of the wood.
All the wood that we work with to create our pieces comes from local "ejidos" (communal land) with responsible forestry management programs and certificates.
EXHIBITS
2024 – "Torre de Babel".
Ángulo Cero, Ciudad de México.
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2023 – "Semilla - Objeto".
Fundación Marso, Ciudad de México.
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2023 – Inédito, Design Week Mexico.
Ciudad de México.
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2019 – Territorio Urbano, Design Week Mexico.
Museo Tamayo, Ciudad de México.
2017 - Inédito, Design Week Mexico.
Museo Tamayo, Ciudad de México.
2017 - FOG Design+Art
San Francisco, USA.
2016 - Inédito, Design Week Mexico.
Museo Tamayo, Ciudad de México.
2016 - Wanted Design, New York, USA.
2016 - Silla Mexicana, Diseño e Identidad.
Museo Franz Mayer, Ciudad de México.
2015 - 8ª Bienal Nacional de Diseño.
Ex Convento de Regina, Ciudad de México.
2015 - Territorio Creativo – Inédito, Design Week Mexico.
Museo Tamayo, Ciudad de México.
2014 - Zona Maco – México Arte Contemporáneo.
Centro Banamex, Ciudad de México.
2013 - Hecho en México, mujeres en el diseño, Design Week Mexico.
Museo Tamayo, Ciudad de México.
AWARDS
2017 - Premio Inédito / Design Week México.
Mención honorífica - Impacto Social.
2016 - Premio Inédito / Design Week México.
Primer Lugar.
2016 - Nacional Design Award: Diseña México.
Seleccionado Oficial.
2015 - 8ª Bienal Nacional de Diseño.
Seleccionado Oficial.
2015 - CLAP. Premios Internacionales de Diseño Industrial y Diseño Gráfico.
Primer Lugar – Diseño de Mobiliario.
2014 -Architectural Digest Mexico, Premio Iconos del Diseño.
Finalista – Diseño de Mobiliario.
2013 - Premio Quorum.
Mención Honorifica – Diseño Industrial.
All the wood that we work with to create our pieces comes from local "ejidos" (communal land) with responsible forestry management programs and certificates.