Interview with Alessandro Marchelli

Alessandro Marchelli ("AM") interviewed on Thursday, 29 March.

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

AM : Alessandro Marchelli is Interior Architect & Designer, Art Director and consultant for the public and private sector, specialized in Brand Vision, Concepts Design for Home + Hotel & SPA / Wellness.Born in 1964, Alessandro Marchelli has always shown unconventional creative flair, curiosity for his surroundings, eagerness to know, to learn and to develop his talent. His course of study took him from Piedmont to the Academy d'Architecture Interieure de Design (AIA) in France, followed by an Advanced Training Course in New Entertainment Design at Poli.Design in Milan.In 1990 he founded AM+D, an international firm in continuous progress focused on sensory interior architecture and creative experimental design, and has been its artistic director since.

How did you become a designer?

AM : Create emotion. Being able to turn a dream into reality. Develop concepts, ideas, sketches and leave a sign that remains over time. Shaping and shaping each line with creativity, making sure that it is not only a line, but that has its own function, its own life. With the aim to create, from a mixture of decomposed traits, a perfect symphony. As a bunch of musical instruments in a large philharmonic orchestra, that all together form a magical melody.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

AM : AM+D and his dynamic team create environments, situations and moods at times provocatively inspired in contrast with the outside world, not for the sake of the inverse, but in order to induce new long lasting sensations and emotions.In all his work, whether design (interior, contract, industrial, exhibit), graphics or communication, the “sensory apology” is clearly evident. It is a design concept which AM wishes to bring to people’s heart, sight and mind through the actual drawing and the idea behind it.AM introduces a new perspective focusing on the senses , free from traditional “limits”, calculated to simplify gestures and aimed at “enhancing sensations”.AM+D’s design, which is characterized by a rounded enveloping style, shapes and defines every single form always in search of the wonder of today’s world where marvel and convenience merge.Over the years AM has been responsible for interior design and fitting projects both for contracts and home, as well as designer items for major companies. His works appear in articles in national and international magazines and books dealing with the field of Interior Architecture and Industrial Design.Study and pursuit of perfection are essential requirements of the philosophy of AM+; they are the basis for innovative solutions and space creation which can inform passions with their charm and uniqueness and shape the environment in an inventive fashion. The need to highlight each and every project to provide maximum comfort and easy usage together with a new personalized aesthetic quality remains a constant priority.Translating imagination into reality …… this is our art and our way of thinking

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

AM : The Interior Architecture and Industrial Design are two completely different jobs, but at the same time complementary, from my point of view.The senses are part of my design path. The aim is to give unique sensations to people who "enters" the vision of our creations, without giving any reference point.Move the perspective every time you look at a project, surpassing the stereotyped stakes of ordinary, keeping the wonder of watching something new.Characterized by rounded and enveloping shapes, my design models and shapes every single form, continuously seeking the wonder in the modern world with the merge between surprise and convenience.The curve is also a medium that forces you asking yourself questions, challenging the stereotypes, getting out of the standard path, to achieve your goals.It is wonder, excitement, surprise, severity, and elegance of purity.

What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?

AM : The Design Studio always balance the intuition with the strategy, starting from the basis, where: innovation, experimentation of forms, collaboration, rigorous research of materials and meticulous attention to detail coexist and blend. In AM+D, with a dynamic team of people, we start with a careful analysis of the project to be realized by assessing each individual problem. We deeply analyze the context and the key aspects provided by the client, from the "modus vivendi", the social status, to the target budget for the realization.During the first phase, "preliminary study" or concept, we develop handmade drawings, then in a second step, we develop the final executive drawing, putting the customer at the center of his "new world", producing photorealistic renderings that will make the customer able to feel its new space, that could be its Home, Office, Hotel, Retail or SPA/ Wellness.

What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?

AM : Regardless of trends and fashions of the moment. There are minimalists periods and others completely opposite filling every little space. In my artistic DNA, I follow what makes me feel good and at the same time I give it to customers, adapting all forms according to the guidelines of my smooth design, soft and non-conformist to the rules of everyday life; but not for the sake of going against current, but to try to bring out the uniqueness in every project.

What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?

AM : Not to be manipulated in tastes, ideas and currents of colorful thoughts that last a while, but to follow up with all forces the own solutions, researching, studying, proposing what comes from the own "inside".Getting excited every time you create.

You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?

AM : Studying, updating, experimenting, engaging in finding the solution to the problems, sharing, being surrounded by people who are a stimulus to creativity. Carry forward your ideas, your own way of designing. Making customers understand the thrill of always creating something innovative. Never copy yourself or others because doing so you can not feel the idea.

What is your day to day look like?

AM : Being in charge of an Interior Architecture and Design Team is impossible to find moments of boredom. Every day new challenges are found and accepted both on the work in progress and on new projects. In the morning we meet for a briefing, then with their duties we are dedicated to development, who in the pipeline, who in the laboratory and who work the details, executive, until you get to the evening where you are and you tell the story day to find solutions and new ideas for the next day to be tackled with great enthusiasm

How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?

AM : I believe in the elegance and therefore I look at the creativity factor, and if I do not find the things I like around, I draw themBeing creative, for me means leaving a mark, a line to follow and share, so I always try to develop my idea of ​​architecture and design. The forms round and fulid that let themselves be shaped like clay, modeling according to the needs to not give points of reference and always change perspective

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

AM : Functionality, quality, development, productivity, elegance, amazement, emotion ... From my point of view good design is what makes you feel good, that makes you see people happy when they use the product or appreciate the environment that he has drawn himselfThe mistake that should not be made, in my opinion, is that of not copying even if once you have had success with that kind of project. We must always discover new limits and overcome them ... this is good design for me

How do you decide if your design is ready?

AM : When all aspects have been developed, even the most banal. Listening, evaluating, pondering. Trying to find innovative solutions if you think that those adopted are already outdated. Be flexible in changing during construction if you think the new idea is in progress with the project being developed. Without arriving. And it will be a success

What is your biggest design work?

AM : Each project has its own peculiarity, and every work of great satisfaction if done with commitment and a lot of work.There are many works I'm proud of, but maybe those that gave me something more were "Casa Dova" and "Tower House" where among other things they won an award in the 'A' Design Award.Complex works of great commitment to design and production, but extremely stimulating emotions and sensations.Restructuring in a historical center of the Basso Monferrato, with numerous constraints, difficulties on the existing structure, which then developed into important scenic works, working on light and creations created exclusively for that environment, with a miscellanea of ​​workers incredible. Coming to obtain numerous awards and prizes, with articles in international magazines.Among other works in the design phase both in home and in contract and retail, we are working on a new design concept designed for an Italian company, which will soon be presented to the international press.A new line of bar counters, pastry shops, ice cream parlors for HoReCa and for Food, conceived, designed and modeled to give new life to innovative, hi-tec and multifunctional spaces for people in step with the times.

Who is your favourite designer?

AM : There are men and women, artists, designers, architects, who in this world have made and are making history, and when the eyes can see their creations and read their thoughts your imagination can fly.-I'm always fascinated by a phrase of the famous architect and master Oscar Niemeyer:"It is not the right angle that attracts me, nor the straight line, hard and inflexible, created by man. What attracts me is the free and sensual curve. The curve that encounter in the mountains and rivers of my country, in the clouds of the sky, in the sea waves, in the favorite woman's body. It is made of curves throughout the universe. The curved universe of Einstein".Even more sophisticated, is the memory of the Director of Zaha Hadid Design, Maha Kutay:"She loved to shape everything and if the world could not find what she wanted, she would have drawn it" or Ron Arad that says: "less you see, the more you see" ... and even if it is not easy, all of it seems easy.

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

AM : Design is a "lifestyle", obviously brings changes in society, because there are women and men who have changed the way we live everyday life with their works, creative geniuses that have made every object have its own functional life that made the spaces designed, true works of art.My team and I try to draw on every form of art that surrounds us, be it music, cities that we visit in the world, different cultures, ways of being. It is part of one's own baggage of life in this way, then to be tapped during the creative phase

Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?

AM : Knowing how to listen, evaluate, observe, and then make decisions, follow the design guidelines. Give the maximum for every single job.Everything must be taken into account when creating, every single element becomes fundamental to the final result.The people of my team and my collaborators are motivated because they know that nothing is, and must be left to chance, they work in groups. They must be able to follow the directives, talking about it, creating synergy.

What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?

AM : The pro bono design is an excellent idea, if it has been created as a starting point to then develop work for everyone. We have studied for our community some urban furniture, where we have seen the aggregation of people, events in which young people have approached art and design.Every year we offer schools, institutions, our time to participate in lectures, conferences and workshops on design and interior architecture, talking about our vision, our work and our way of doing design

What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?

AM : Getting to finals or win a contest of Design or Architecture is the completion of the work done. The satisfaction of being able to bring out the idea, the motivation of what they wanted to create.The decision to participate is made according to the type of contest and project that you want to propose. I usually evaluate the originality of the contest and what is required. Limiting the design choices in a competition precludes the project itself, you should leave creativity to the designer, then the jury will decide whether the implementation choices are appropriate or not for the type of contest.

Alessandro Marchelli Profile