Mexico has no ties to the Shakers, the 18th-century New England–based Christian sect who were known for their minimalist and utilitarian furniture made from honest materials like local wood. And yet somehow, the Shaker-inspired interior at the new Circulo Mexicano hotel in Mexico City — where we stayed last week on our most recent trip of photoshoots for the upcoming Sight Unseen book — seems a perfect complement to what is perhaps the most colorful city in the world. Outside is all pink walls mashed up with orange roofs, and Art Deco facades plopped next to ancient ruins. Inside is an elaborate former residence that was once home to Mexico’s most celebrated photographer, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, and has now been transformed into a boutique hotel and marketplace by the architecture firm Ambrosi | Etchegaray.

The building itself retains several vestiges of its past life, including an interior courtyard and zigzag staircase. But the rooms have been utterly transformed, with interiors by Carlos Couturier and furniture from La Metropolitana, who created seven pieces in oak wood and copper: a woven chair that’s deployed on the rooftop terrace for maximum coziness while eating your morning chilaquiles; a wooden chair that’s occasionally hung from the room’s traditional peg rail; a wooden bench, rocking chair, low stool, work desk, and two daybeds strung with cotton cord. We also loved the little touches like a skylit patio in our room, the cute Santa & Cole lights, and a super-deep cedar hot soaking tub on the roof.

Photos by Sergio López and Fabián Martinez courtesy of Grupo Habita