Architect, designer, and founder behind Culture in Architecture studio, based in Beirut and Paris, Aline Asmar d'Amman committed her entire activity to bridging cultures while balancing a dialogue between the past and the present. Approaching each project with an evocative and narrative force, Aline Asmar d'Amman's projects are like an elaborate story between the ephemera and materiality, the raw and the precious, heritage and modernity. In various cross-disciplinary projects ranging from interior architecture to art and scenography, Aline Asmar d’Amman’s contemporary approach is nurtured by a dedication to savoir-faire and the essentiality of cultural conversations.
But at the moment, from her superb apartment in Paris, Aline reveals to us, among other stories, the beginning of her collaboration with design legend Karl Lagerfeld, the passion in his collection of functional sculptures, architectures, and the marvelous creative adventure at Villa Noailles where Aline was the Guest of Honour and President of the Jury of the 7th International interior Design Festival.
Photography by Jeremy Zaessinger
LD: What has been the most important point in your career so far? Are there any magic human encounters on your path?
AA: As an architect and interior designer, I’m privileged to practice my passion every day on exceptional projects and meaningful sites. Each encounter with partners, craftsmen, artisans, and team members adds layers of richness and joy to the journey. Magical encounters often happen when you least expect them; sometimes they become defining moments such as my encounter with Karl Lagerfeld, by far one of the greatest creatives of our century, with whom I had the chance to collaborate. Working with Karl Lagerfeld was a highlight not only because he’s the design maverick with multifaceted talent in every creative field but also because he shared his knowledge with great generosity. Karl was a rare person, in addition to being one of the most extraordinary creatives of all times. He loved working with women and never missed a chance inspire with humor and encouragements encouraging every free-spirited initiative with his famous wit and heart. When I first met him in 2013 after I had sent him a personal letter, he was particularly surprised by my huge obsession with each Chanel collection he had drawn, especially the decors of the shows and their narrative. As long as I remember, fashion has always impregnated my work and there’s always been something from Coco and Karl with me. This continues now with total passion for Virginie Viard’s creations and her ability to underline a sense of strong femininity.
Photography by Stephane Fuegere - Aline Asmar d’Amman & Karl Lagerfeld - Carpenters Workshop Gallery
LD: You collaborated with design legend Karl Lagerfeld on the Hôtel de Crillon Les Grands Appartements. What have you learned about yourself through your time together?
AA: I met Karl when in charge of artistic direction and the interior design of the signature suites for the iconic Hotel de Crillon, Rosewood Paris. As an architecture student and later for my very first interior design commissions, I would look at Karl’s unique ability to interpret an era and with style in fashion. I knew all about his passion for the 18th century and his immense erudition around French decorative arts. But very little did I know about anyone who would introduce me to him. I did dare to approach him with simple means: a manuscript letter hand-delivered it to his personal office. Karl called me on my mobile the next day after receiving that letter. It will always be one of the most incredible thrills of my adult working life and a founding moment for what unfolded after. I invited Karl to design “Les grands Appartements” at Hotel de Crillon and assisted as the executive architect meticulously developing his sketches into life. The ‘Grand Appartements’ embody the best of what Paris has to offer in terms of French legacy made modern, an uncompromising sense of proportion and elegance and the indelible mark of Karl’s historical knowledge coupled with anecdotes and humor. Later, after this first realization, we embraked on another journey, a collection of functional sculptures “Architectures”, tables, mirrors and luminaries, exclusively in arabescato rare marble and black and white marquina, a tribute to Karl’s love of Greek mythology and culture which he considered as the origin of beauty, a collection to be found at the. Like fragments of an ideal past with a very modern expression, these pieces are probably amongst the latests designs Karl ever delivered and I feel utterly privileged to have developed this collection available at Carpenters Workshop Gallery, with a very fond souvenir of the opening moment, in Paris, by his side.
Photography by Stephan Julliard - Hôtel de Crillon
LD: Who are the female designers or architects whom you admire?
AA: Among the works of architecture that constantly inspire me are those by Zaha Hadid. I do not only admire her creative force and her unique vision but also what she calls “the struggle of a lifetime". But every woman in design, fashion, architecture, art, every woman entrepreneur without borders is an inspiration. I am passionate about the driving force behind a woman’s motivation to move the needle and shape tomorrow’s world. From Sonia Cheng in the hospitality sector, to Christine Lagarde in the banking sector, to Andree Putman who has left an indelible mark on design, going to women authors who move us to the core and to whom I dedicated a ‘writing room’ in my personal exhibition at the occasion of the International Interior design Festival of Villa Noailles called “Love, Women and the Sea”. I was lucky to collaborate with the fashion house of Chanel, le 19M, to create a unique echo of their words on hand painted and pleated panels by Maisons Lemarié and Lognon, transformed into extraordinary screens, with excerpts from Marguerite Duras, Virginia Woolf, Etel Adnan, Lidia Yuknavitch and other women authors to whom my admiration is boundless.
LD: It seems that you use every project as a platform for the empowerment and support of women in architecture, design, and beyond. Where is the starting point for this journey?
AA: Women are heroes and many inspire the stories behind the design journey, whether as imaginary friends of real characters. My mother is an undying source of inspiration. She always found a way to uplift every moment in the most adverse circumstances of a country in war, raising us to believe that education, culture, and art of living were a means of resistance. In every project, I find myself holding on to a fabulous catching feminine character. During the epic journey of Hotel de Crillon’s renovation, I imagined Marie-Antoinette waking up in the 21st century with her eternal youth, extravaganza, and free spirit: how would she live today? How would she re-interpret tradition in a modern lifestyle yet keep some traces of her royal heritage and fast? I figured it would be more interesting to design a contemporary stage for her, in total tension and with the right balanced dialog between heritage and contemporary elements of design. Working on Palazzo Dona Giovannelli, one of the architectural jewels of Venice dating back to the 15th century, I feed my narrative with imaginary legends coming back to visit the historical mansion home to the future Orient Express Hotel Venezia: from La Casati to Peggy Guggenheim and Princess Farnese who got married in the historical salons of the Piano Nobile, who would they walk down that ballroom today? Paris and the “Iron Lady” veiled in metal lace, were my very first sources of inspiration for ‘Le Jules Verne’ restaurant by Michelin star chef Fredric Anton. Every space was conceived with a nod to the Grande Dame and her enduring elegance, symbol to the city of lights in the entire world! The power of women with the evocative force of a poetic space-time is a program to which I intend to dedicate myself for a long time.
Interview by Andreea Dicianu
Discover the full version of this interview in Volume I.