Following the successes of a wide range of tantalizing products, it was time for founder and creative director, Tatiana Sánchez to find a place for UNELEFANTE to call home.

What began as a small start-up project just two years ago has already transformed into a recognizable brand supported by a full team of creative and culinary professionals including a chocolatier, a tea sommelier and an alchemist. An enterprise that began with high-end chocolates and balloons, the mission to provide gifts and happiness permeates UNELEFANTE products as well as the quirky, playful design of their first location in Monterrey, Mexico.

Sanchez designed the space to both house, and show-case her products, in an environment that would operate as both a warehouse and office space. The public are drawn to this mysterious treasure trove, and Sanchez receives regular inquiries from the outside world. “People think it’s a store, but it’s really our operations office disguised as a store.” With the brand’s signature balloons and décor strung throughout the space like festival bunting, it’s no wonder that people are curious to come inside and explore.

Inspired by her Mexican heritage, culture and artistic flair, the UNELEFANTE products are colorful, creative and carefully curated. Vibrant, explosively flavorsome chocolate bars, sentimentally selected gift boxes and scintillating scents are primary examples of the wide range of products and experiences on offer. In order to demonstrate the brand, display these items and simultaneously provide an energetic and inviting workplace, Sanchez drew inspiration from the imagery of the gifts that she and her collaborative team had created.

Blank white warehouse walls create the canvas and backdrop for the touches of artwork that appear throughout the space. Much like on the Tableta Pollock chocolate packaging, splashes of color peer out from the soft wood shelving units in the central island (made from used pallets and marble), as well as from the similarly designed wall feature. With a delicate flourish of vivacious balloon décor displayed by the reception desk, the details are neat and minimal but deliver a bright burst of color. Every aspect has been treated with the same love and care that goes into the creation of the UNELEFANTE gifts. Sánchez found the vintage display unit that serves as a counter abandoned in a car repair workshop and claims “it was love at first sight”.

This is a true reflection of the brand – “organic and simple, but pretty colorful.” Particularly enamored by the back space which resembles an artist’s studio with paint splashes across the walls, the studio is a dream become reality and a pleasure to work from. A calm, soothing and welcoming space for new clients as well as a suitable opportunity to present various products, the design of the space is both true to Sanchez and to the brand she has so carefully developed.

Photography: UNELEFANTE