INNER EMINENCE

FASHION MAVEN GIORGIO ARMANI REVEALS THE SECRET THAT DISTINGUISH HIS INIMITABLE STYLE IN INTERIOR DESIGN EVEN AS HIS FIRST ASIAN PROJECT UNVEILS IN INDIA

Armani dresses the perfect home

I HAVE THE UTMOST RESPECT FOR THIS COUNTRY THAT HAS ENTERED THE THIRD MILLENNIUM AS A KEY PLAYER. WHAT I TRY TO DO WITH MY ARMANI CONCEPTS IS TO RESPECT THIS IMPORTANT HISTORY WHILE ALSO RESPECTING MY SENSE OF AESTHETICS.

Come 2014, India will scale the peak of another record when the Lodha Group unveils the largest residential tower in the world: the Lodha World One, in Mumbai. The skyscraper will rise almost a half kilometre dwarfing the Gold Coast’s Q1, New York’s Empire State and Chicago’s Sears Tower.

Amongst the several prominent names involved in the design, construction and development of the project, the that of legendary Italian designer Giorgio Armani. This collaboration is rare when we consider that Armani takes on only one interior design assignment per continent, making his work on the Lodha tower an Asian exclusive. The residences in the world’s tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, is already part of the achievements of Giorgio Armani’s interior design division, Armani/ Casa. For the World Towers Armani has set out to create a sense of comfort and functionality by combining shapes, textures and colours perfectly distributed within the area. What makes Armani the designer he is and what defines his artistic choices? The couture king reveals a respect for natural materials, Indian history, and a surprisingly intact experimental streak. In the world of luxury, Armani is still hailed for his simplicity, which would seem a contradiction.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

A simple gesture is not necessarily born of a simple thought. Actually, it is the fruit of sophisticated thinking. It is a principal I apply to all my creative endeavours including interior design. Just look at the scan of pure lines which make both the space and the décor stand out in the showcase apartment of the World Towers.

I committed myself to doing research which had me profoundly involved, because every architectural solution, from the layout of the space to the finish on the furniture have been carefully studied to create intimacy, a sense of relaxation and well- being by going along with the energy flow which dictates space arrangement.

I have also introduced elements which underline the influences of the country where this project is coming into being. Careful research by the Armani/ Casa Interior Design Studio made space for a new interpretation of the delicate textures and fretwork that are emblematic of India’s artistic heritage. A delicate and diaphanous weave, which lets air and light through becomes the focal point of the three- panel sliding door in solid mahogany with a corresponding backlit intrados which both separates and connects the dining room to the large living room. Fretwork, craftsmanship, workmanship, metallic reflections of leaves of white gold, liquid metal and the treatment on the walls, all this pays particular attention to the incredibly rich Indian iconography, and allows me to reinterpret key themes in a contemporary key. A distant and alluring culture thus becomes a project element that is both unique and symbolic, representing its finer nuances.