Ricardo Casas is a graduate of the Universidad Iberoamericana with a specialization in Industrial Design for Interior Spaces. He has taught at institutions such as the Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico), Centro de Diseño Cine y Televisión, and the Universidad Anahuac del Norte. Additionally, he has conducted lectures and workshops at prominent universities across the country, including CEDIM (Centro de EstudiosSuperiores de Diseño de Monterrey) and Tecnológico de Monterrey at various campuses.
As a co-founder of the NEL Collective, dedicated to the informal and playful exploration of design, its projects reached major design exhibitions worldwide, including Milan, Italy (Salone Satélite and Fuori Salone), Valencia, Spain (Habitat Fair), Design Festival London, The Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington D.C., among others.
Products by NEL are part of collections for brands like NANIMARQUINA in Barcelona, Pirwi in Mexico City, and the "Pack of Dogs" collection was featured in the "Destination Mexico" exhibition at MoMA in New York. Casas has collaborated on designs for brands such as Pirwi, Notwaste, Los Patrones, DeArgenta, Anfora, etc. His work has been recognized with various awards, including the Quorum Awards (National Design Award) with distinctions in the Furniture category.
RC's work has been showcased and published in prominent media outlets such as Glocal Design Magazine, ELLE Decor UK Edition, Código, Casa VIVA, Folio, YATZER, Wallpaper, Monocle, and Stylepark, the latter featuring an article by Sophia Walk describing the designer's work as "Ricardo Casas is one of Mexico’s industrial designers committed to experimental interior design. In his work, he makes use of materials in very many ways and, in the process, tells stories about spaces."
In 2014, RCD was selected by Heineken International to design the "Lounge of the Future" (POP UP CITY LOUNGE), presented at the Design Week in London. The interior project "Malamén" was a finalist in the "Restaurant and Bar Design Awards UK" in September 2014.
In 2015, he was commissioned by the Liquen agency to design and develop the interior and furniture project for the restaurant "BesameMucho" within the Mexican Pavilion at EXPO International Milan 2015. The project was later adapted permanently in Milan, earning the National Interior Design Prize Prisma 2016. He also handled the production of the piece by Tania Candiani and Luis Felipe Ortega for the Mexican Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale of Art, overseeing the entire development of industrial design, as well as the spaces and furniture of the National Pavilion.
In 2016, Ricardo Casas launched Shelf, a collaborative design platform presented at Zona MACO. It marked his debut with a collection of furniture and accessories, along with collaborations with designers and artists such as Iker Ortiz and IsauroHuizar. In 2017, Shelf presented a limited ceramic edition by designer Marco Colín, establishing the brand as an important catalyst for design projects and limited editions.
Shelf showcased for the third time at Zona Maco 2018 with a collection of urns, collaborating with prominent artists such as Jorge Yazpik, Edgar Orlaineta, and Tania Candiani, among others.
In 2019, Ricardo Casas was one of the designers selected to create the first collection for the store at the National Auditorium. The collection comprised over 150 products inspired by themes related to culture and entertainment within this important national venue.
In 2020, in partnership with Chef Mario Espinosa, he developed and founded Madereros, a restaurant in Colonia San Miguel Chapultepec, a neighborhood in Mexico City closely linked to art galleries. This marked the beginning of their Gastronomic group, along with Chef Espinosa, subsequently developing Tencüi in Santa María la Rivera, a project dedicated to mushrooms, and Magda in 2023 in the southern part of the city in the San Ángel neighborhood. Their partnership is characterized by the fusion of gastronomy, design, architecture, and art.
