The world-famous designer and artist has collected virtually every design award. As a product and graphic designer, Bregenz-born Stefan Sagmeister has worked his way up to the very top by mashing up typography and picture language in a fresh, unique and sometimes even provoking manner.
Since 2012, Stefan Sagmeister and Jessica Walsh are running their New York-based agency Sagmeister & Walsh. Besides working for interesting clients all around the globe, he designed album covers for numerous bands like The Rolling Stones, Lou Reed, and Aerosmith. He won the Grammy award twice, wrote several books and curated art shows from Zurich to Philadelphia. Stefan talks in this interview about the learnings of his last sabbatical, the importance of atmosphere in a room and also a piece of good advice for you.
How did you get where you are now?
I started to write for a small magazine called Alphorn when I was 15 years old and quickly discovered that I loved doing the layout more than the writing.
How did you develop your own design style?
I am not sure if we have a readily identifiable design style. We do have some methods. Somebody smarter than myself described style as the outside of a concept, and the concept as the inside of style. We used to have a sign in the studio saying style=fart, but I am not so sure about this notion anymore. I think that attention to style can make the delivery of good content easier. So why not pay attention to it? Also, I found out, by changing our own style on every project, we stayed much on the surface stylistically and were in danger of ripping off styles developed by other people.
What are you proud of?
During my second sabbatical, I was looking for something meaningful to design and “The Happy Film” seemed to fit the bill. It forced me into doing a whole lot of research and experiments within this field. I also figured that whatever we do might have a chance to be of service to other people. I had never done a film before. Thus, the project allowed me to work with a new and challenging medium. The fact that we finished it through all the massive trouble, that’s what I’m most proud of.
There is a huge competition in the field of visual communication; the Internet is full of portfolios. How did you manage to lift your work from others?
We are interested in creating an emotional connection to an audience. This sometimes works.
With creative work, work and free time often blend. Technology allows us to work from anywhere, anytime. How do you deal with that?
I am mostly a beneficiary of these new possibilities, as I do travel on an almost constant basis and actually work very well on planes and in the hotel. I am answering these questions on a plane.
How many jobs can you handle at once?
We usually have about a dozen jobs on the burner in the studio, all at various stages.
Does your work make you happy? Is it full-filling for you?
Yes. I do feel that design has been a very important ingredient in my overall well-being. Relationships to family and friends have been the other one.
How important is the atmosphere in a room for you while you work?
This is so very important. When I was on sabbatical in Mexico, I rented a house with a home office in the basement. After working there for a number of days, I moved the office upstairs into the high-ceiling living room. I was suddenly MUCH more productive.
What is the most interesting part of your work for you?
The possibility of thinking about a project without a deadline looming. The possibility of working on something craft-related for a long time at the edge of my capabilities.
What do you do when you’re not at work?
My mentor Tibor used to say: When you do what you love, you don't need a hobby. Nevertheless, I am passionate about science museums, reading, all kinds of concerts and traveling constantly.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Taking train trips. The forward motion together with a view out the window and enough space for a sketchbook; this works very well for me.
What motivates you to keep working?
The possibility that we might design something that helps or delights somebody.
What is your new exhibition „BEAUTY“ about?
Most design-centric professions, be it architecture, product or digital design don’t take beauty very seriously, with many practitioners seeing it as superfluous while concentrating on function. I very strongly believe that the sole pursuit of functionality often leads to work that does not function at all. The public housing projects of the 50ies and 60ies being a prime example: The goal was to house as many people as effectively as possibly resulting in projects that were not fit for human habitation. They needed to be torn down again 20 years later.
My old friend and mentor Tibor Kalman used to say: "I have nothing against beauty, I just don’t find it all that interesting." I used to agree but changed my mind: I think beauty can be a fantastic means of communication. Also, it can help a piece to become very emotional and touching.
What did you learn from your last sabbatical? Why did you choose three completely different countries for this? Was there an idea behind it?
I have NO desire to switch off from work during the sabbaticals. Actually, they are there to work and I normally work more hours in them than in a regular year. We just don't do any client work, but instead, pursue little experiments that might yield results for clients in the future. I wanted to conduct the third sabbatical in 3 places (Mexico City, Tokyo, Schwarzenberg in Austria) simply because I had never done it before. I do not want to repeat the same experiences. It’s a lot of fun! I am not in a position to determine what other people should do, but I can say this: I have now talked to dozens and dozens of people who took a sabbatical, rich and poor, singles and families. EVERY single one thought it was among the best things they had ever done in their lives.
What is your best advice?
Stop concentrating on your own happiness and start looking out for the happiness of others.
Read also our most recent interview Stefan Sagmeister's secret for good ideas or our first one Stefan Sagmeister's pursuit of bliss.
This interview got published and printed in Forward Magazine 2018.
For last year's tournament the Swiss watch manufacturer RADO had the trophy completely redesigned by the Austrian designer 
Of course a trophy has no practical requirements compared to the homeware Rainer usually designs, therefore the playful aspect and the aesthetic component are all the more important.
For the trophy's shape, Rainer got inspired by the octagonal handle of a tennis racket which unfolds on the upper side.
But what we like most about the trophy: In order to strengthen the personal relationship to the venue and the tournament, the winning ball is positioned and fixed as a unique memento in the award after the final.
This way the ball mirrors on the inside of the trophy to reflect the dynamic character of the game.
Banksy aims to make people think not only with his artworks. Here, he just asks 1 simple question and gets millions of not that simple answers.
We have collected some answers from our office and friends.
“Because it doesn’t intend to matter.“
„Art is like a therapy, healing and helping but unlike real therapy, it is easier, faster and less stressful. Imagine seeing your therapist and imagine going to the gallery. I choose the therapist but the gallery can be cool for some people.“
“It helps a half decent human beings to understand the world.“
“Art opens the door into the world where we as people can feel freedom. Art develops our thinking, therefore we can create bigger things. Makes our lives better, not that tedious, full of joy.“
“Because the art has no limits and neither do we.“
“Because it’s simply a way to express yourself and at the same time to understand the others.“
Why does art matter? Because it’s limitless, healing, joyful but mainly because it means something different to each one of us. Let Banksy know what you’re thinking on his 
The responses will be judged by English comedian Adam Bloom, who wants customers to make their answer as amusing, informative or enlightening as possible.
“We can’t ever weed out all the people who just want to flip for profit, but we can weed out the unfunny ones,” wrote Banksy.
Forward Magazine: Did Burgtheater approach you or have you been wanting to work with them before?
studio VIE: When we founded studio VIE in 2013 we made a list of dream clients. You might see where this is going, because obviously Burgtheater was on that list. We were super psyched when they invited us to take part in their call for entries and even more when we won them as our clients.
Forward Magazine: Was the briefing very specific from the start or did you work out most of the idea together with Burgtheater?
studio VIE: In line with the new artistic positioning the design called for a bold statement. It had to be relentless on many different levels. Relentlessly pro-Europe, relentlessly unsettling, relentlessly demanding. Not pleasing in any way or pretty. Other than that there we were given total creative autonomy.
Forward Magazine: What was more important: creating something modern or something timeless?
studio VIE: The new visual identity of Burgtheater is definitely rather modern than timeless. At the same time we created something that won’t get old all too quick. Using a highly topical tool like the type generator created by font designer Elias Hanzer made the design modern. The way we utilize it for Burgtheater allows us all the flexibility it needs.
Forward Magazine: Thinking of rebranding, it must be tricky to distance oneself from the existing brand in order to create something new. How do you manage to do so?
studio VIE: While we have a lot of appreciation for the previous design by Raffinerie it was crucial not to create something too self-contained and accomplished but raw, open and rather unreliable. This goes hand in hand with Martin Kušej being on a mission to erase the term „Burg“ for Burgtheater because it’s associated with a fortress rather than a theater.
Forward Magazine: This was not the first cultural work you’ve done. What’s the difference when working for brands or for cultural institutions?
studio VIE: To us it’s such a privilege being able to work and exchange ideas with (most of the time) like-minded people. There is more affinity for risk taking and less attraction for pleasing ideas. Also, working for the cultural world we often don’t have to sacrifice aesthetic standards for user friendliness. Design is not seen as a tool to push sales as top priority. Our clients tend to have a more international perspective, which is really scarce with Austrian brands. We are here to boost Austrian design confidence and establish more awareness for sophisticated design.
Forward Magazine: What was the most challenging part of the project? Was there anything unexpected?
studio VIE: Burgtheater is a huge vessel. Many, many people are working very hard to get stuff done. Timings are often very tight and last minute. For example, the playbills go to press two days before the premiere because the photos are only taken at dress rehearsal. Or take bureaucracy, ideas don’t materialize because they have to be officially approved since it’s a state-run organization. Another obstacle is to be attractive for a younger audience while it’s the older generation who fills the seats every night. And finally, money. The budgets are shockingly tight for the number one flagship of Austria’s cultural institutions.
Forward Magazine: Stefanie Moshammer was in charge of the photography. Did you suggest to work with her on this campaign and if so, why?
studio VIE: Stefanie’s work was already familiar to the client. As we said it’s great to exchange ideas with like-minded souls. We just love Stefanie’s style, it’s edgy, immediate, Viennese, female, not adorned at any time but still so poetic.
Forward Magazine: “Deus Ex Ibiza”: Your posters do not lack boldness. Who came up with the idea? Were political statements part of the briefing?
studio VIE: We developed the concept of misheard and distorted truisms, platitudes and buzz words. The Ibiza footage instantly (and superficially) blew up our right wing government just like the plot device of Deus Ex Machina does in a movie or play. For us it was important to create a strong statement for uncertain political times. Kein Kampf sums it up quite well.
Forward Magazine: You worked with the digital agency SIRUP in Berlin, right? What was their role in the working process and how did the collaboration have an influence on the result?
studio VIE: The only thing we contributed to the website is creating a style guide, animation and defining typography hierarchies. Sirup was responsible for sitemap, UX/UI and how the website looks today. So we wouldn’t exactly call it a collaboration.
Forward Magazine: The new design is very modern after all. Were you afraid of the reactions of those fond of traditional Viennese culture?
studio VIE: So this was a whole new experience. Never before in the history of studio VIE were people making the effort to look up our phone number to call us and complain about the new design. Initially the briefing said, the best thing that could happen, is the audience talking about the design in the foyer. There is outrage and there is bewilderment. We are very aware that our design is not exactly a crowd pleaser. But we fully subscribe to the concept of panta rhei, change is so important. It’s only humane (and Viennese!) that regulars of Burgtheater feel like something old and treasured has been taken away from them, but we have very high expectations of their capabilities.
Thank you 
Article by Iris Writze
Facebook’s tool for building augmented reality effects, 
YACHT 2019 Landscape[/caption]
Indie Rock Group YACHT have always been curious about AI and the ways it could be used the music industry. So when AR filters were huge on Snapchat, the band seized the opportunity to test a potential application of AR in music.
They have spent the last three years working on their new album Chain Tripping, describing their work “a machine-learning generated composition process.” The results shows that AR is not limited to visuals: The group filtered their entire back catalogue of 82 songs through machine learning software and used the midi-data that was fed back to them to produce the album’s tracks.
"AI seemed like an almost impossible thing, it was so much more advanced than anything we had dealt with… And we wanted to use this to not just technically achieve the goal of making music—so we can say, ‘Hey an AI wrote this pop song’—rather we wanted to use this tech to make YACHT music, to make music we identify with and we feel comes from us.”
Another band interested in AR is the 1975, who created a whole campaign featuring a 
In times like these, designers should have ecological and sustainable principles in mind during the whole design process. Such as recycling, the use of renewable energy in production, material, durability, function, and cost. The shape of a product should follow sustainable design principles to effectively reduce waste and carbon emissions in order to save natural resources.
We collected some beautiful design inspirations that are aiming to save our world:
This 
Greenpeace's advertising campaign deliberately plays with fake news to draw attention to unrealistic best-before dates. It aims to point out that foods often have a much longer shelf life than indicated. There is a call-to-action as well motivating people to sign the petition against food waste.
Agency: Merlicek & Grossebner Text: Lukas Grossebner, Michael Wittmann Grafik: Peter Mayer, HFA Studio Illustration & Lettering: 
Tala is a British lighting brand based in London. Founded in 2013, the company specializes in low-energy LED lighting products that recreate the warm glow of traditional bulbs.
The founders weren't happy with the LED brands on the market, so they founded their own company on the premise that good design can help mitigate climate change. From their London-based studio, they explore the tension between sustainability, technology, and design. They also support reforestation programs around the world.
More info: 
From starting your own project to helping other brands spread their message through your beautiful design - there are literally millions of ways you can help the planet by being a designer.
What are you proud of?
I made Berlin a better place by designing the passenger information for BVG, the Berlin traffic enterprise, back in 1990/91, after the Wall came down. Before that, all the buses, trams and trains were beige. Now they are bright yellow and the best of all is that nobody gets lost anymore.
How did you manage to lift your work in the field of visual communication from others?
No idea. I always did what I thought was the best I could. Also, I often took complex projects that were too boring for other designers.
What is the most interesting part of your work for you?
Working with other people who are smarter than me, at least in some areas.
How do you choose the projects you work on?
I am officially retired and don’t do much commercial work anymore. Therefore I ask myself the following questions. Does the world need them? Are the clients good people? Do I need the money?
What is your favorite tool right now you’re most excited about to work with?
Analog printing presses and type metal.
What do you think about the design scene? How do you manage to position your work so radically different than others?
I don’t position my work, I just do it. Clients come with a project and I decide to do it or not.
What would you consider good design?
It needs to solve the problem plus add an extra level of aesthetic pleasure.
Do you think the internet is becoming the main place to look for inspiration?
Not anymore. People are going back to meeting people and doing analog things.
Which would you consider your biggest design mistake and what did you learn from it?
This story is too long to tell, but I learned never to promise more than I can actually keep.
How important would you say is it to share thoughts on design with others?
Very important. I actually never studied design and learned everything I know from others. So I like giving back to the younger generation.
This interview got published in Forward Magazine 2018.
All of the designers got the same briefing, the results are as diverse as we humans are. From black and white to colourful, from typography to illustration – but all around the topics of equality, diversity and love.
For the selection of the designers they put a huge emphasis onLGBTQ+ artists. Contributors include Alice Bowsher, Cynthia Kittler, Elliot Kruszynski, Josh McKenna, Loveis Wise, Marcus Oakley and Sujin Kim.
The t-shirts not just only look beautiful, with every purchase something beautiful ist achieved: 50% of the profits are being donated to support 
Get ready for whichever Pride Parade you may attend and get your t-shirt 
Copyright: John Madere[/caption]
Touch screen or pen?
Pencil.
Photoshop or InDesign?
Pencil.
Screen or print?
Pencil.
Your family runs the well-known fashion house SAGMEISTER in Bregenz for several generations. How did growing up in a family-business shape you as a creative entrepreneur?
I lived directly above the store with three sisters and two brothers. Most lunch and dinner conversations of my parents were centered around the store and I was certainly not very fond of that. What shaped me more was the fact that my grandfather was a sign painter, I grew up with his sketches and paintings hanging around the apartment.
Fashion has a lot to do with the first impressions, superficiality, and beauty. Did your family put emphasis on how you were dressed as a child?
Oh yes, and of course I rebelled against it. While my Mum would have loved me to be dressed properly - which meant conservative and clean at the time - I dressed in old sweaters and even older coats, sort of a hippy-grunge style.
Your most Vorarlberg trait?
Trying to improve a thing simply for the joy of improving it, even if neither the client nor the audience will ultimately appreciate it.
As a teenager, you moved to Vienna to start a graphic design education. Why did you choose this path and against a career in the fashion house?
At the time I was fascinated by album covers and thought that would be a wonderful thing to do with my life. Since my two older brothers were already involved in the store, it was much easier to convince my parents that I wanted to do something else. The store would not have been big enough for the three of us anyway.
When did you notice that you were better than your colleagues?
Never.
Is “Yes I know” – the best reply after receiving a compliment?
I prefer the classic: "Thank you, that's nice of you."
Did your youth in Austria prepare you well for what should come next?
I received most of my education here until I was 24. During this time my brain was not yet fully developed; I think that's why it was the most formative of my life. Many of my best friendships came about at that time. And although I love New York and have lived here for 20 years, I am still Austrian and - perhaps more importantly - feel very Austrian.
What makes a good graphic design?
It works and pleases the user.
After graduating, you worked for design and advertising agencies in New York and Hong Kong. When you were 30, you started your own thing in New York.
We started the studio with a clear intention to design for music. I wanted to combine those two interests at the time. After seven years, it was time to work in new fields.
Your biggest unexpected success?
The Happy Film. We made it to the Tribeca Film Festival with our very first work, to many cinemas in many countries and received great reviews.
Your biggest unexpected failure?
The Happy Film. No commission has ever given me such profound periods of despair as the making of this film. The seven grueling years it took him were so much harder, more expensive and more time-consuming than we imagined.
The worst logo ever hung anywhere in Austria?
I'm more interested in the best logo. I've always loved the logo of the Viennese textile company Gans (
How do you know when a draft is finished?
When the FedEx guy waits downstairs.
Your most creative moment throughout the day?
If it happens that ideas flow, then that's likely in the morning.
First, you made a film, then an exhibition about happiness, then another, about beauty. What's next?
I will stick with beauty. It feels like that's exactly what I should be doing right now.
More about Stefan Sagmeister: 
Credit: Laura Fantacuzzi / AUSSENWIRTSCHAFT AUSTRIA
Visitors had to wade through a sea of biodegradable foam on the upper floor of the former royal waiting room to find their way to the exhibits. This represented the fun and “pleasure” component.
Credit: Laura Fantacuzzi / AUSSENWIRTSCHAFT AUSTRIA
Credit: Laura Fantacuzzi / AUSSENWIRTSCHAFT AUSTRIA
The ground floor, on the other hand, was turned into a treasure chamber – the “treasure” component of the exhibition. The design highlights were showcased in a darkened hall, positioned on a black pedestal littered with pieces of chocolate gold. That the coins might go missing had already been taken into account by the organizers as visitors were permitted to take coins away as a souvenir.
Credit: Laura Fantacuzzi / AUSSENWIRTSCHAFT AUSTRIA
Credit: Laura Fantacuzzi / AUSSENWIRTSCHAFT AUSTRIA
The exhibition showcased top-class design products from across Austria – from home accessories to office furniture, and from tableware to lighting. The exhibits themselves were selected by a jury of experts based on criteria such as the degree of innovation, craftsmanship as well as formal, aesthetic and functional qualities. Among the curated exhibits were works by established design greats as well as by up-and-comers. The NEU/ZEUG label, for example, was showcased in Milan for the first time. The label operates at the interface between manufactured and digital porcelain production and was presenting its PEARLS lamp series. The design creations of Lisa Wolf were also presented to the specialist audience in Milan for the first time. Her clay works Ha & Ba is somewhere between art and product design and combines function with sculpture.
Renowned product designer Thomas Feichtner presented the Octagon Chair, which forms a figure of eight made from a total of twelve looped wires that overlap only in the seating surface. The steeped in tradition silverware workshop Wiener Silber Manufactur was founded in 1882 and played an important historical role as partner to some of the most prominent figures of the Wiener Werkstätte. This year it presented the tableware series Landscape, inspired by the decorative arrangements used in the ‘table landscape’ trend of the baroque era.
Lobmeyr designs can be found in large design collections such as the MoMA in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the MAK in Vienna. Marco Dessí and Lobmeyr have developed a new lighting concept with Ritter/The Knight. Starting from a sine curve, Dessí has developed a shape for a single lighting element that can be arranged and re-arranged to create ever new forms and shapes. The Alva shelving system by industrial designer Rainer Mutsch impresses not only with its airy, almost transparent appearance, but also thanks to its outstanding stability.
The challenge in creating a new identity and developing a brand strategy for Saffron lied in the complexity of the task: With over 70 departments and inconsistent sub-brands, the city's positioning had become complicated and inefficient.
Saffron brought the identity under one roof with a new font called Wiener Mélange and consistent design for almost all of the 70 sub-brands - except for strong brands like "Die 48er", the Viennese rubbish collection service. The old font featured letters set in many different typefaces and font styles - from bold to sans-serif to lower and uppercase - probably wanting to represent diversity.
The red shield with the white cross - the coat of arms of Vienna - of the old logo has been redesigned as well and adapts to the font style. It has been inspired by the lettering found on old historic Viennese buildings.
Saffron worked closely together in workshops with as many stakeholders as possible to find out the perceptions and key themes of the city: Der Mensch in der Mitte / Humans at heart.
The Viennese coat of arms has become the fun and catchy icon of the city's identity: The four quadrants offer flexibility and variety in style to the city's new brand: One of its quadrants can turn into a holding shape for messages or transform into objects.
F & F Tower, Panama City / Panama
The Shard, London / United Kingdom
Catherine Palace, Pushkin / Russia
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The project was kicked off by Karen Leibowitz, co-founder of The Perennial Restaurant. During the #MeToo debate last year, she talked to other women in the restaurant business about how they tackle sexual harassment. She realized that many do not know how to defend themselves against sexual harassment. Inspired by a well-known choking-victim poster created for New York restaurants in 1989, and with the help of Cherry Bombe co-founder Kerry Diamond, Karen and Kelli created a poster that educates restaurant staff about how they report and document sexual harassment at work.
For the poster design, Kelli used the ubiquitous Heimlich Maneuver posters that litter restaurant walls. So Kelli's graphic has a clear language that explains step by step how to document and report harassment. In addition, the designer used fluorescent RGB colors to visualize the threat.
Kelli Anderson’s designs reveal the invisible magic of the world
Kelli is an interactive designer who explores how design can harness invisible forces in the world. She is known for her design, animation and illustration work for NPR, "The New Yorker," "Wired," MoMA, and the "New York Times," as well as her redesign of brands such as Russ & Daughters, Momofuku, and Munchery. Kelli is the author of two experimental and interactive pop-up books: "This Book is a Camera" which transforms into a pinhole camera, and "This Book is a Planetarium," which houses a tiny planetarium and other contraptions.
Kelli will speak at Forward Festival in 
The movie BacKkKlansman has a strong political message, thus artist Brenda Luu drew her inspiration from Kehinde Wiley’s famous portrait of Barack Obama. At the same time the flowers in the background pay homage to the origins of the director Spike Lee, since the depicted flowers are the Nigerian national flower, to represent his African roots, the Georgia state flower that stand for his birthplace and the rose for his hometown New York.
Jac Castillo designed an alternative poster for the film version of the comic Black Panther. The work of artist Daniel Danger was his inspiration. Daniel is known for atmospheric lightning, monochromatic palette and detailed line work. Therefore Jack chose the cave where the heart-shaped herbs grow, that give the Black Panther his powers, as the setting.
The Favourite, another political film, about three woman in the early 18th century got it’s reimagined poster by Flo Lau. She aimed to highlight the fierce competition at the heart of the story while also illustration the film’s intricate set design. To archive this she made use of iconic elements by Roy Lichtenstein, but she also implemented the fisheye effect used in the movie as well as the black, white and gold colour theme. If you look closely you can see Queen Anne’s beloved rabbits in the background wall pattern.
Bohemian Rhapsody takes you on a journey through time to celebrate Queen and especially the lead singer Freddy Mercury. His flamboyant and unapologetic personality and his unique talent reminded artist Alice Lee of Andy Warhol. Therefore she created the movie poster in the iconic colourful style of the famous artist.
This year’s Best Picture winner Green Book is based on a real-life friendship between an African American pianist and his Italian American driver. During the movie several object are used to depict the friendship, that is why designer Rose-Ann Reynolds chose the style of Tony Fitzpatrick who is known for his collage-like aesthetic. Rose-Ann used the objects to highlight the film’s key events with the Cadillac as the main element.
For Vice, the dead-serious comedy about Dick Cheney’s journey to the White House, Jennifer Forrest refers to the work of Corita Kent, who is famous for politically-charged typographic serigraphs. Moreover, the themes Corita Kent treats in her work are closely parallel to those portrayed in the movie: poverty, racism, war and social injustice.
To illustrate A Star is Born, the tragic lovestory between a seasoned musician and a struggling artist, Thanh Nguyen got his inspiration from the iconic collage “Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing?” by British artist Richard Hamilton.
JC Moreno wanted to portray Roma’s main character Cleo as a heroine persevering against all odds, so he chose the style of Jack (King) Kirby to do so. The poster is in black and white, just like the film and Jack Kirby’s sketches.
Did we put a spark in you and got you eager to design a poster yourself? If you do so, submit it to our poster competition presented by fritz kola! Find more info 
In the infamous area around Place Pigalle, the former red light district of Paris, the wickedness never really left. You can feel it in the atmosphere or in a not so subtle way at the entrance of Hotel Amour were guests are greeted by a smiling Mickey Mouse with an enormous and shiny penis.
The hotel owner André first had the idea of an hotel, because he and his friends were missing a cool place to gather after partying or to sleep after a night out. For him it was the natural next step to open such place himself.
For him, the most important things for a good hotel are flawless tidiness, the best bed linen money can buy, good service – and what’s very important for him – good lighting. The aspect, that makes this ‘good hotel’ extraordinary is that certain something that breaths in soul. In the case of Hotel Amour and Grand Amour the soul comes from André and his befriended Artists who were involved in the design and decor. While walking through the halls and rooms of the hotel you find pieces by M/M Paris, Jean-Philipp Delhomme, Alexandre de Betak, Sophie Galle, Pierre Le-Tan, Glenn O’Brien, Olivier Zahm, Mark Newson and many more.
Every artist involved has a unique style, different approaches and their own statement, which makes both hotels to the exciting places they are. But for André nothing is ever finished, everything is a process, therefore the premises are ever changing and never the same.
What you don’t necessarily see at the first glance, every piece of art and furniture is from the personal collection of André and his partner Thierry Costes (owner of the Parisienne Hotel Costes). All of it unique and fancy – and only original artworks, even the prints by Guy Bourdin and Helmut Newton!
Unfortunately the artists André wants to work with the most are no longer with us. He often imagines what rooms designed by Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp or Pablo Picasso would have looked like.
Since he is not the only street artist with his own hotel, he often gets asked what he thinks about Banksy’s Walled Off Hotel in Palestine and his opinion is clear: He absolutely loves it! According to him it is one of the best projects he has seen in a while. That will probably change soon, since he is already working on his next hotel opening. The spot he chose for his new project stands apart from the others, for it will be in Portugal by the beach. He imagines a place were artists not only spend their vacation, but also for them to work there for a longer term. Since it is only approx. 25 minutes away from Lisbon, the guests can easily go to the city for a night out, when they get bored on the countryside.
We already booked our flights, so we're off – Bye then!
Find more info about André Saraiva