Many designers are thinking small—as in storage, multi-purpose furniture, and room dividers. This is the case with Mexico City-based Pirwi, “a brand of furniture for the home committed to high quality, green manufacturing and good design.” Started in 2007 by two industrial designers, Emiliano Godoy and Alejandro Castro, Pirwi strives to reduce its impact on the environment—from materials sourcing to in-house manufacturing.

Ovo. Designed by Héctor Esrawe of Pirwi.

Now employing 12 designers, Pirwi continues to look for people that share their planet-friendly vision—and the results are stellar. Currently, Pirwi offers three room dividers, not including some other pieces that might well be used for that purpose. While each room divider has something to offer, their latest creation, Ovo, is unique in its level of transparency (it’s billed as “the lightest one”). Ovo employs a pattern of oblong octagons that resemble ovals—with just a little more edge. Measuring 200 cm H x 200 cm L, Ovo is made of birch plywood with hidden steel hardware. The finishes are varied: walnut, maple, beech, ash, grey or black veneer. In beech, Ovo is a sandy expanse; in black, it’s a graphic drawing; in grey, it’s a harem veil. The four-panel screen separates “without creating an overshadowing sensation of enclosure.” Warning: It’s not the choice for those needing secrecy (see harem above). Los, another variation of Pirwi’s inventive room divider employs a similarly bold graphic, a kind of organic interlocking boomerang pattern that affords a space a welcome balance of privacy and openness.

Los Room Divider. Manufactured by Pirwi.

Ovo was designed by Héctor Esrawe, creator of the DIMO brand and director of Esrawe Diseño, a furniture, object, and interior design firm. Esrawe was also the first coordinator of the Industrial Design degree program at the Centro de Diseño y Comunicación in Mexico City. His work has been covered in Metropolis, Architectural Record, and Interior Design Magazine—which success might justify Esrawe’s grandiose moustaches! Whether you like Esrawe’s look is not important; it’s whether you like Ovo’s look—and Ovo is undeniably eye-catching (you might even say the motif is ocular).