Words Vidula KotianImages Adrianna Glaviano Date 05 November 2025

From Chihuahua to Mexico City and New York, Rafael Prieto turns chocolate, books, and design into experiences that connect people, culture, and creativity. 

The founder of Casa Bosques, a celebrated bookstore in Mexico City, and principal of Savvy Studio—his design and creative direction studio—shares how his passions for publications, hospitality, and conceptual chocolate collide in a space that’s equal parts playful and thoughtful.

This December, to celebrate our new publication, Designed to Stay, The Design Hotels Book, we’re teaming up with Rafael to bring Casa Bosques to The Shelborne By Proper during Miami Art Week. He will transform the hotel’s cafe into a pop-up bookstore—a hub of art, design, and creative exchange. In the lead-up to the pop-up—where we’ll launch the latest Design Hotels Book and serve a Casa Bosques cocktail—ideas and cocoa are brewing. We caught up with Rafael, who opens up about the story behind his books, bars, and bold creative vision.

Before Casa Bosques, what experiences or passions shaped who you are today and led you to create this unique space?

I grew up in northern Mexico, in a small town called Chihuahua, splitting my time between the city and the ranch. When I was around 14 or 15, I started discovering art and design magazines—and I was also obsessed with chocolate. 

At 17, I moved to Montreal, marking the beginning of my journey. From there, I lived in San Francisco, Spain, and Berlin, before returning to Mexico City at 30. That journey opened up a whole new world for me. I became fascinated by global culture and how something as simple as chocolate could connect people and ideas. Casa Bosques was born from those two lifelong passions—publications and chocolate.

My main focus has always been Savvy Studio—creative direction, design, communication—but Casa Bosques began as something purely for pleasure, not business. Over time, it’s become a journey into chocolate: learning about farms, craft, and people. To me, chocolate is a form of hospitality, and I’ve always loved hosting.

Casa Bosques has become more than a bookstore—how did it evolve, and what role does community play in it?

When Casa Bosques started in 2011, there were no art bookstores in Mexico City, especially ones with international magazines. I went to Berlin for a project and discovered these small publishers and shops—it was a revelation. Back home, I didn’t just want to open a studio offering creative services. I wanted a philosophy, something quiet but tangible, centered around art books.

The bookstore became our way of sharing what Savvy Studio was about: research, books, artists. We wanted to offer something to the neighborhood in Roma-Condesa, combining international publications with Mexican ones that were otherwise only in museums.

It’s subtle. I never aimed to change anyone’s life. I just love sharing what inspires me—a book, a chocolate flavor—and inviting others to enjoy it in a simple, welcoming way.

The Casa Bosques chocolates are as conceptual as they are delicious. How did that idea begin—and what’s the process like collaborating with artists on it?

Chocolates have always been a curiosity and a source of pure pleasure. I’ve approached them like coffee: tracking the beans, fermentation, roasting, and farms—mainly in Chiapas, Mexico—connecting back to my upbringing on a ranch.

There’s a luxury to cacao, and I’m fascinated by the high-low spectrum: different farms, flavors, and seasons. Even if a bar is 74% dark with sea salt, it can taste different year to year, just as the photo printed on the wrapper, taken on my travels, changes with each batch. It’s all about impermanence.

I started artistic collaborations in 2018 with Apartamento magazine, then Lawrence Weiner in 2019, creating a blue-corn chocolate called “Somewhere South of the Border.” The name came from the blue corn itself: it’s considered quintessentially American, yet it’s also very Mexican. The project combined flavor, cultural identity, and creativity in both the chocolate and the cover design.

Since then, I’ve worked with Harold Ancart, Jonathan Monk—who made an 80% bar entirely by hand, leaving his fingerprints on each piece—and now Miguel Calderón, combining flavor, design, and concept. Artists reach out if they’re curious and passionate—and I say yes to those I connect with. It’s where art and chocolate come together naturally.

What's your favorite flavor?

I’m into novelty. Our latest collection features three bars: chocolate with peanut butter and cashew vanilla cream (lactose-free), date caramel with fermented dates and cashew, and a hazelnut spread chocolate. The covers feature tables from India, Vienna, and the South of France, evoking the pleasure of sharing food. I want the experience to be indulgent and joyful, like opening a bar after a family lunch and savoring it with coffee, tea, or wine.

You move fluidly between the food, art, and design worlds. How do those scenes intersect for you—and what role do you see Casa Bosques play in connecting them?

For me, everything—food, art, design—is interconnected. It all comes from my love of arts, culture, and shared experiences. Designing chocolate packaging is the same as designing a space or a gallery piece: I think about function, emotion, and the story behind it. Casa Bosques exists to express these passions in different ways, while also creating a space where others can experience and connect with them. At the same time, I love imagining the perspective of others and designing for them, too.

For our December collaboration, how do you decide which voices to elevate?

I’m drawn to people who are true to themselves. It doesn’t have to be my thing—what matters is that it’s done thoughtfully and with quality. That principle guides who I choose to elevate.

If you could only keep one book in Casa Bosques, one that reflects its spirit and your vision, which would it be—and why?

It would be Cy Twombly: Sculpture. He was a painter who suddenly made unapologetic sculptures, full of philosophy and appreciation. An American in Rome, misunderstood both at home and abroad, yet deeply rooted in Greek mythology—beautiful, bold, and true to himself.

What’s a ritual, guilty pleasure, or little habit that keeps you grounded?

My favorite ritual is having breakfast in New York hotels—it makes me feel like I’m traveling, even if I’m not. I’m a breakfast person, so I always invite friends to join me instead of drinks at night. And of course, I eat a chocolate bar every morning around 11:00—after lunch is too much, or I won’t sleep!