Giorgio Armani: «A tailor-made home»

The new Armani/Casa collection is an interior design tailoring service and an urban redevelopment project signed A|X Armani Exchange. Milan, in turmoil for design week and Salone del Mobile, amplifies the creativity of Giorgio Armani, who has chosen his favorite place, the Brutalist Silos, to present his 2022 furniture collection and which has become for the occasion a sort of scenic box with a series of evocative spaces where the new products dialogue with some of the Maison's historic furnishings.

The narrative thus becomes the expression of an aesthetic that unmistakably defines Armani's world of living. Following a language of reworkings and subtractions, the visitor imagines the creative journey leading from the initial idea to the finished furnishings through eight main themes, summarizing the designer's passions, from the Far East to Art Deco to the animal world. This free path runs through iconic items such as the Antoinette coiffeuse, the Morfeo suspended bed, the Club bar cabinet, the Onda chaise longue and the Pascal armchair, alongside some new furniture pieces, such as the Suite valet stand, a small storage unit with folding doors made of Paulonia shaped solid wood.

The world of interior design for Giorgio Armani is also enriched by the Armani/Casa At Your Home project, a restyling service that was conceived during the pandemic and is now in a relaunch phase. In addition, in order to reinforce the designer's bond with the younger generation and with the Italian capital city of design, a project has just been launched for the redevelopment and maintenance of six basketball and mini-basketball courts in central and suburban areas of Milan, for which Armani is a technical sponsor under the A|X Armani Exchange label. «Over the years I have materialized a complete lifestyle» Giorgio Armani told in this interview.

The Armani/Casa At Your Home project seems to translate typical fashion tailoring into interior design. What are the secrets to succeed in restyling a space with a touch of Armani?

Our goal is precisely to guide the customers in choosing a personalized, tailor-made environment, respecting their desires and requests. I can satisfactorily say that over the years I have succeeded in materializing the design of a complete, coherent lifestyle, of which the established design reality of Armani/Casa is an integral element. The secret lies in applying the same philosophy as my fashion to interior design, never forgetting that the people are at the center, and style is at their service. The specific areas of the home to be involved in the restyling will therefore be redefined by the meticulous details and balance between sophisticated aesthetics, functionality and comfort that are typically Armani.

Your interior design studio's made-to-measure service also has an emotional component. Is this an important implication of the project? And if so, is it for both parties?

The home itself is an emotional space, an intimate place where we fully express our personality. Creating or renovating a room in one's home is an emotional investment, because it stems from a need or a desire. Armani/Casa At Your Home gathers every request by involving the client with an experiential, and not purely technical, approach, and takes care of the conception and realization of the project in a fluid way, so that it is the result of a true dialogue. My in-house team of experienced architects, the same ones who collaborate with me every day, is guided by my personal vision, but I myself ultimately oversee the work. Whether it is a major developer or an individual, the care and attention are the same. 

Your collections are often inspired by nature and art. What did you design for the 2022 collection? And what kind of experience did you envision for the presentation at Silos?

This year's collection includes several reissues of furniture that has made the brand's history and some new pieces, such as the Suite valet stand, which I love very much because it condenses the narrative suggestion of memories of travel and desires for new discoveries. If closed, it looks like a precious little solid wood trunk, the kind used in period travels, but once opened it reveals itself to be surprisingly accessorized and functional. Travel, the Orient, the aesthetics of the 1930s and 1940s and nature are some of the themes that over time have delineated the style of the entire Armani/Casa universe and to which I wanted to dedicate a display at Armani/Silos for Milan Salone del Mobile. An exhibition that synthesizes the main sources of inspiration of my design in an emotional and evocative setting, through an emblematic series of environments conceived as evocative paintings.

You recently launched a new hotel in Saudi Arabia, your third one. What is your goal? And are there any other projects in sight?

The Armani Hotel Diriyah is a pioneering project that excites me. Again, the fascination of the genius loci, a fundamental starting point for all my choices, prevailed. My hotels and all real estate collaborations come from a choice linked to the geographical place and its meaning, respected and integrated into the Armani aesthetics, because context makes a difference and modulates the architectural message. In the case of this hotel, it will really be a unique project, in terms of planimetric and environmental development.

What are your other plans for the future?

I do not think in terms of wishes to be fulfilled, but in terms of opportunities. And those present themselves all the time, giving me the chance to challenge myself and evolve my taste in new directions. The future is not written, and there is nothing more beautiful than this. It is built in the commitment of each day, which for me is unchanged since I started this job. Sure, I am not a kid anymore, but energy and determination do not leave me. In the long term, I envision the future of my Group as a continuation of what Armani is today. (All rights reserved)