Founded in 2013 by Maggie Galton and Maria Eladia Hagerman, Mexico City- based design studio Onora Casa celebrates traditional Mexican craftsmanship through locally made homewares. Through small-batch production, the brand combines such traditions with new designs, recognizing craft as a magnificent heritage worth safeguarding, and a reminder of community, ritual, and joy. Collaborating with artisans and collectives, they support networks of weavers and potters across Mexico.

Maggie Galton, an art historian and former New Yorker living in Mexico, and Maria Eladia Hagerman, a Mexican designer, founded Onora Casa as a way to celebrate and protect traditional craft techniques. With years of experience working with various artisan organizations and networks, they recognized that many of these traditions were dying out. The brand and its name Onora are an homage to a beloved weaver from Veracruz named Honora, whose deep investment in keeping the craft traditions of her community alive guide Maggie and Maria Eladia's mission.

FOUNDERS: Maggie Galton and Maria Eladia Hagerman
LOCATION: Mexico City, Mexico
MATERIALS: Clay, Wood

Small batch production is better for communities and better for the planet. Money goes to the artisans and into the local economy. By using natural resources in a sustainable way, Onora Casa creates alongside the seasons and in harmony with our environment. Nature dictates the pace, never overusing natural resources. This practice means some of their products may be out of stock at different times of the year. Handmade pieces are worth waiting for.

Onora Casa works primarily with two different types of pottery, pastillaje and Barro Negro. Pastillaje, typical of the Michoacán province, refers to a process where thin strips of clay are pinched between the fingertips to create ornamental petals, scales, and spines. This distinctive technique can be used to make designs that resemble flowers and the spikes of their iconic pineapples. Barro Negro, the traditional Oaxaca black clay, is found in the San Bartolo Coyotepec region has been used since Mesoamerican times. Currently, around 600 families in and around San Bartolo Coyotepec are dedicated to producing utilitarian and decorative objects using Barro Negro.