Madre and the Art of Becoming: How Restaurant Design Mirrored My Own Evolution
I’ve learned to pay attention to the places that stir something in me. Sometimes the places we feel most drawn to can reflect something happening within us, even something we haven’t quite put into words yet.
For me, Madre, a restaurant in Raleigh, became one of those places. What began as an evening out became a reflection of the changes taking place in my own life.
What a Restaurant Taught Me About the Life I Desire
One of the first things that drew my attention at Madre was a figure of the goddess Venus, her femininity on full display. Lit up in the transitional space leading to the bathroom, something about the Venus statue’s presence resonated with me. I had been thinking about femininity in all of its expressions like love, sensuality, and fertility, and perhaps that’s why the statue’s expression of femininity caught my attention in the first place. Women’s desires haven’t always been given space or importance, which made the symbolism of femininity represented by Madre’s Venus feel especially potent to me. When it comes to interiors, it’s often less about the object itself than the feeling of emotion it stirs up. For me, Venus became an external symbol of something I was already feeling within myself.
Creation energy can feel both feminine and maternal, and I found elements of both reflected at Madre. Goddesses like Venus represent a sense of self-possession around motherhood that I think are important for women to recognize and really own for themselves. Lately, I’ve found myself immersed in a kind of creative “birthing” energy building my own business and actively creating the life I desire for myself. At the same time, my longing to experience motherhood physically has felt increasingly strong in recent years. So I couldn’t help but notice the significance of the name Madre, “mother” in Spanish, and how closely it aligned with what I was experiencing in my own life. I have been unconsciously preparing myself for the possibility of future motherhood, which gave Madre’s lasting impression a deeper meaning. It’s as if all of this symbolism showing up in my external world was reflecting what might be next for me. Not to mention the cultural significance of the Spanish word as a Latina writer.
New Place, New Chapter
Beyond what Venus came to symbolize, there was something delightfully subversive about the design. A typical trip to the bathroom was elevated by the dramatic presence of Venus and her pinkish-purple glow. It reminded me that even the most ordinary moments can be made special by our surroundings. And that attention to atmosphere carried throughout the restaurant. Madre’s cave-like, cozy ambiance with its rich, muted purple walls and hint of romance gave the entire restaurant a sense of intimacy. Even its threshold spaces became part of the experience with museum-like focal points that invited you to stop, look and of course, take a selfie.
Looking back, I think there’s a reason the restaurant, its colors and atmosphere have stayed with me for more than a year, and why I keep going back. I was also entering a period of transition in my own life. I had recently moved into a new apartment in the heart of downtown just blocks away from Madre. Suddenly, the restaurant and all that it had come to symbolize for me felt so alive. I wasn’t just moving into a new home but a new chapter of life, one that included building my own design business and watching it gain momentum.
Living so close to Madre wasn’t something I had consciously planned but the synchronicity felt meaningful to me. I’ve often found that my external surroundings seem to reflect something happening in my inner world, sometimes before I fully recognize it myself. It’s what I think of as a parallel process, a sense of coherence when our internal selves and environments around us reflect and inform one another.
It’s something the psychology of spaces and places has taught me repeatedly. Pay attention to the places and spaces that evoke deep feelings within you. And especially during times of transition, the places we’re drawn to can tell us a lot about ourselves.
A Place to Be Nourished
I’ve also come to value spaces that offer a sense of nurturance. Restaurants are inherently about food as nourishment, and community, and Madre serves delicious drinks, mocktails, gluten free options, and smaller plates and tapas, along with healthier options. I’ve come to appreciate the importance of honoring all forms of abundance, no matter how small, as we make our way toward greater abundance. But at Madre, nourishment took on more than one meaning.
One of those meanings came through Venus herself. Seeing a woman centered as an intentional design choice felt deeply nourishing in its own way. Her presence added another dimension to what the restaurant came to represent for me, connecting nourishment not only with food that nourishes our bodies but the ways spaces can nourish us emotionally.
As I move into a more abundant time in my own life, I’ve been thinking more about nourishment beyond what we eat. I’m in a position now where I can nourish myself in ways I haven’t before, giving myself more of the care I want and need in a way that is deeply healing to my younger self. In practice, this means taking up space in my own life through my voice, my boundaries and the choices I make for myself. Choosing spaces that nurture us and reflect more of what we want can be a way of nourishing ourselves too.
Images via @ m_a_d_r_e
Written by Desiree
Desirée Gonzalez holds a master’s degree in depth psychology, specializing in community, liberation, Indigenous, and ecological psychologies, and a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism and broadcast management. She is certified in Trauma-Informed Design and Social Economic Environmental Design (SEED) and is the founder of Restorative Design. Her work explores the intersection of restorative justice and design, with a focus on creating spaces that support healing, well-being, and empowerment.
