Salón Camarena brings the golden age of entertainment into the modern era

In an age dominated by streaming, smartphones and endless scrolling, one of Mexico City's newest hospitality destinations invites people to reconnect with something more tangible. Salón Camarena is less about chasing nostalgia than it is about rediscovering the joy of gathering, listening, and sharing experiences through thoughtful design.

Created by Mexican multidisciplinary design studio MYTGLVDK, the venue occupies a landmark mid-century building in the heart of the city.

Instead of functioning as a single bar or restaurant, it unfolds as a series of interconnected spaces – a taquería, video bar, karaoke lounge, and piano bar – each with its own distinct atmosphere while contributing to one overarching story.

The project's name pays tribute to Guillermo González Camarena, the Mexican engineer credited with inventing an early colour television system. His pioneering work serves as the conceptual thread running throughout the interiors, where colour, movement, sound, and memory merge to create spaces that celebrate both technological innovation and human connection.

Visitors first encounter a vibrant stall wrapped in rich red hues, bold typography, and playful graphic elements inspired by everyday Mexican culture. It serves as both an accessible street-facing eatery and the opening chapter of the experience, introducing guests to the visual language that continues throughout the venue.

From there, the atmosphere shifts into the expansive video bar, the project's energetic centrepiece. Warm lighting reflects across polished beige epoxy flooring, while a towering digital video wall transforms moving images into an immersive architectural element.

Vintage-inspired leather booths and modular seating strike a careful balance between retro character and contemporary flexibility, allowing the space to adapt effortlessly from lively evenings to more relaxed daytime meets.

A more intimate mood awaits inside the karaoke room, where lilac epoxy floors and warm timber finishes create a softer palette. Here, the designers reference the visual distortion of analogue television through subtle lighting effects and material choices that evoke static, interference, and fading signals.

The piano bar provides the evening's calm finale. Velvet, corduroy, houndstooth fabrics and richly toned woods reflect the glamour of television studios from the 1970s and 1980s. 

Together, the four spaces demonstrate how shifts in materiality, colour, and lighting can dramatically alter mood while maintaining a cohesive design language.

Rather than recreating the past, MYTGLVDK uses familiar visual cues to explore why analogue experiences continue to resonate today. In an increasingly digital world, spaces that encourage face-to-face interaction, shared music, and collective participation feel surprisingly fresh.

Salón Camarena demonstrates how hospitality design can become more than a backdrop for entertainment – it can actively shape the way people gather, connect, and create new memories.

Credits

Design: MYTGLVDK, Instagram @mytglvdk

Photography: © JPark