Glocal 89 | Penélope de la Madrid

Penélope de la Madrid: The Intuition Behind Atmosphere

Before there was a studio, a portfolio or a defined professional path, there was a gesture. As a child, Penélope de la Madrid Garibaldi used to rearrange the furniture in her family’s living room so the space would “feel better.” She did not yet speak of interior design, atmosphere or spatial experience, but she already understood something essential: rooms can shift the way we feel, move and remember.

That early intuition became the foundation of a practice built around sensitivity, precision and human connection. Over time, Penélope developed a way of looking at interiors not as static compositions, but as emotional structures capable of influencing wellbeing, productivity and everyday rituals.

In 2001, she founded Ábaka Interiores in Puebla, shaping a multidisciplinary studio devoted to spaces that are functional, harmonious and deeply connected to those who inhabit them.

A design practice shaped by intuition

Originally from Culiacán, Sinaloa, Penélope has lived for many years in Puebla, a city she describes through its visual, architectural, gastronomic and historical richness. Yet her creative identity is not anchored to a single geography. Her gaze moves through contrast: the calm order of a museum, the sensory disorder of a market, the quiet beauty of a place that reveals itself through detail.

That openness has become one of the defining qualities of Ábaka Interiores. For Penélope, design does not begin with a palette, a finish or a piece of furniture. It begins with listening. Before defining the physical language of a project, she seeks to understand the people behind it: their needs, desires, habits and aspirations.

This ability to listen has allowed her to build relationships of trust with clients who see in her not only a designer, but a creative ally capable of translating ideas into spaces with emotional clarity.

Interiors that move between function and memory

Throughout her career, Penélope has worked across residential, commercial and hospitality projects, always guided by a precise balance between aesthetics and practicality. Her work is defined by attention to detail, multisensory atmospheres and the ability to give each project its own narrative identity.

Among the projects that have marked her trajectory is Casa Restauro, recognized with a Prisma award, as well as Señorita Caruso, a specialty coffee shop located in the historic center of Puebla. Set inside a 17th-century viceregal building, the project translates a love story into space, bringing together historical elements, poetic gestures and contemporary design.

In Hecho Forma · Salón de Diseño Mexicano, Ábaka Interiores used color as a narrative tool to challenge the neutrality of the exhibition space. Furniture and everyday objects became part of a visual statement on the collective identity of Mexican design.

In Luzencia, located in the historic center of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, the studio transformed a former heritage house into a sophisticated restaurant. The project reflects a careful understanding of hospitality as an experience that must be felt before it is explained: through light, materiality, scale and atmosphere.

The value of building from empathy

Penélope de la Madrid’s path has also been shaped by the challenges of entrepreneurship. As a woman leading a studio in a competitive and constantly evolving field, she has had to make strategic decisions, guide teams and adapt to new ways of living, working and consuming design.

Those challenges have not diluted her vision. They have strengthened it. Each obstacle has become an opportunity to refine her purpose and to understand that design, beyond its formal qualities, is also a way of building trust, collaboration and long-term value.

At Ábaka Interiores, this vision extends to the team. Penélope has understood that a strong studio is not built around one voice, but through a culture where ideas circulate, evolve and gain depth. Respect, creativity and excellence define a process where every project grows through dialogue.

Designing spaces that endure

Penélope’s work belongs to a generation of Mexican women architects and designers who are expanding the possibilities of the creative industry. Her story speaks of intuition, perseverance and a clear conviction: spaces are never neutral. They hold emotions, shape behaviors and accompany the lives unfolding within them.

Continuous learning has also been essential to her practice. Travel, cultural visits, conferences, design fairs and conversations with other creative voices have allowed her to keep her work open, current and responsive to contemporary needs.

Looking ahead, her direction remains clear: to keep growing without losing essence. The girl who once rearranged furniture to change the feeling of a room has become a designer who understands atmosphere as a form of care.

Through Ábaka Interiores, Penélope de la Madrid continues to design more than spaces. She creates environments that inspire, accompany and endure. Her work reminds us that interior design is not only about what is seen, but about what is felt: the quiet, lasting impact a space can leave on the people who inhabit it.