Conscious Design by Jesus Pacheco

SCALE meets the prolific landscape and interior designer from Peru who is high on popularity ratings for his home décor shows on television. By Priyal Sood

Landscape designer Jesus Pacheco’s designs are subtle and conscious of the place the designs are based in.

Landscape expert and interior designer Jesus Pacheco, 30, started his career at the age of 18, working on a TV show specialized in the design, architecture, and construction in his hometown in Peru.

After this exciting start, he moved to Lima where he worked in Casacor Peru with the well-known Argentinian architect Silvia Radice.

Understanding the opportunity presented right after this experience, Jesus founded three companies related to interior, decoration and furniture design. These exciting enterprises merged, giving birth to “Jesus Pacheco Studio” in Lima.

His designs are subtle and conscious of place, environment and the client who will finally use his design.

His work was recently part of the comprehensive architecture, interior and landscaping design exhibition, CASACOR Miami in the US that puts the spotlight on an international mix of established and emerging creatives around the theme of sustainability and urban living.

SCALE Magazine had the opportunity to interview Jesus and learn more his design mantra and exciting collaborations with brands like Baccarat and Roche Bobois.

SCALE: Who is Jesus Pacheco? Can you tell us about your design journey?

Jesus Pacheco: I’m a Peruvian Landscaper and Interior Designer (30), from a very small town in the south of Peru named Uchumayo.

From a young age, I have dreamt of going beyond what my eyes can see at this moment.

When I turned 21 and graduated in Interior Design from a public school, I understood that my 20’s should be about acquiring knowledge and not to make money.

I moved to Lima and started studied landscape design at one of the best universities in Peru.

After that, I worked in different places like Sao Paulo, Tel Aviv, New York, Washington DC, and Miami.

I understood that I had to gain experience in the field of design and landscaping, so I started designing and decorating sets for TV shows, working in commercial design, residential design.

I have always lived with the belief that you have to try and be with people who inspire you.

SCALE:  

At a young age of 18 you started your career with a television show about architecture and design. How was your experience? Does that knowledge play a role in your design thinking?

Jesus Pacheco:

I was lucky that a cousin accepted me to work with her on a TV show specializing in design, architecture, and construction when I was 17.

I started as the assistant to the assistant producer, I remember.

The world of television is magical. I learned something new every day and one day they invited me to decorate and design TV sets for the most important shows in the country.

Then they invited me to present a special segment and later I had my own segment, first specialized in interior design and later in landscaping.

This gave me a much broader view of the world of design and architecture. The relationship with the best architects in the country, the best brands and having direct access to a world that not everyone can enter at such an early age inspired me greatly.

And it certainly opened the doors for me to grow professionally in my country.

SCALE: How would you describe your design style? Could you name a few architects/designers that inspire you? 

Jesus Pacheco: My style has changed over the years.

When you start looking for recognition, then you start designing according to fashion. If you are only bothered about how the design will look in the paper, then your growth will not be sustainable.  I went through that phase and learned a few lessons.

As a designer, one should let go of the ego and work for the client, for his or her needs and then the design will be successful.

Personally, in recent years I have moved to ‘conscious and conceptual design‘. And it is nothing more than proposing projects that are conscious of place, the environment, and customers. I like to work based on a concept, it helps in the design process and many times it serves to educate people.

Landscape architects who have inspired me are the Brazilian Roberto Burle Marx, Mexican architect Javier Senosiain and now the Israeli architect Neri Oxman.

SCALE: Can you tell us about your “The art of landscaping, yesterday and today”? 

Jesus Pacheco:

This is my first book that was born with the need to give back a little of what life has given me, to those who want to learn but cannot afford a landscaping course, a diploma or a career.

It is based on all experiences from my student years, my university professor and postgraduate years to my professional experience.

It tells a little of the history of landscaping from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the present, talking about historical, contemporary styles, trends, natural plant species and the new trends in current landscaping.

SCALE:

At CASACOR MIAMI 2019, you won the “Social Media Choice Award”, can you tell us about the concept of the two spaces you designed.

Jesus Pacheco:

Casacor is a very important show in the world of interior design and landscaping where the best of design culminates.

Last year, I designed two environments: ‘The Open Lobby Connection’ and ‘The Backyard Connection’. The concept was born a few months before the show when I went diving to the coral reefs of Miami and saw the sad reality that more than 90% of the coral reefs are dead.

I began to investigate and discovered something that not everyone knows and that I did not know until then.  ‘The bleaching of coral reefs’; a phenomenon that is killing the coral reefs around the world

I turned that problem into an opportunity to educate people about this reality.

We used all the native plants of Florida, some recycled materials, natural pieces and work in collaboration with talented artists who are dedicated to education through their art about the reality of marine nature.

The public understood the message and with their votes, through social networks, we won the important prize “The social Media Choice Award, Casacor Miami 2019′. Surpassing important studios and architects of the world such as Yodezeen, Pininfarina, Leo Shehtman, Sig Bergamin, Allan Malouf, Moniomi, among others.

SCALE: What does the future hold for you? Are you working on any other exciting projects? 

Jesus Pacheco:

I currently have a segment in the morning show  ‘Un Nuevo Dia’ at Telemundo NBCUniversal. I started in this show with the segment ‘Home’, dedicated to teaching the public how to create pieces of decoration through recycling and with the family, in addition to giving design tips, gardening and decoration.

Then I decided that I wanted to offer something more complete to my audience and we began to make renovations, both in the homes of celebrities and for some organization or family in need; in order to show in detail what people can do in their environments in an integral way, in addition to helping those who really need it.

This year is full of exciting plans and projects, I was invited to participate in the ‘Venice Architecture Biennale‘, the next edition of ‘Casacor Sao Paulo‘ and in the ‘Deco & Fashion Show‘ in Lima, Peru.

In addition, I also have beautiful collaborations with the French brands Baccarat and Roche Bobois, and the regular residential and commercial projects.