Join Busboys and Poets Books as we welcome Hermes Mallea to discuss his new book "Havana Living Today."
Havana is full of surprises—even for those who believe they know the city well. Architect Hermes Mallea spent several years documenting the city’s landmark historic homes and was stunned to discover that the gracious family life associated with the city’s grand houses had not disappeared with the Cuban Revolution, as was commonly believed. Beginning in 2011, he encountered stylish Havana houses brimming with personality, homes that had been created despite the island’s economic hardships and isolation. Mallea appreciated these interiors not just for their esthetic beauty, but for the way they keep Havana’s design traditions alive, making a direct connection to the style of the city before its political upheavals.
Dozens of homeowners—art collectors, expats, lawyers, painters, businessmen, fashion designers, musicians, schoolteachers—welcomed him into homes that lovingly reflected their unique personal styles. His latest book HAVANA LIVING TODAY: CUBAN HOME STYLE NOW celebrates the homeowners’ individual flair and ingenuity and brings the reader inside a world that has never been presented in this depth. This is the untold story of Cuba’s 1 percent—in contrast to the often-told hardships faced by many 99 percent of the island’s citizens struggling with over-crowding, scarcities, political isolation, and financial insecurity. Mallea sees these interiors are evidence of the Cuban peoples’ hopes for their future and their vision of what Havana Style might be.
Hermes Mallea is an architect and a partner in M(Group), an award-winning interior and architecture design practice based in New York. He studied at the University of Miami’s School of Architecture and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Historic Preservation and is a member of the American Institute of Architects. He lectures on historic Cuban architecture on the island and the in United States and frequently accompanies travelers visiting Havana. He is the author of Great Houses of Havana and Escape: The Heyday of Caribbean Glamour.
