Ever wondered what some of the studio's of great: Architects, Artists and Designers look like?
The studio of an artist, architect or a designer can offer the most intimate glimpses into their personalities and creative design processes. These sacred spaces often offer an insight into the design mind of many great creatives. From key pieces like treasured art, iconic furniture, and design pieces providing a historical picture of the designer’s journey and their personal design personality. These spaces always form the basis of interesting dialogue and spark the imagination.
The highly private Karl Lagerfeld opted for an entire studio and home apartment in Monaco in a Memphis style interior, whilst this style was in direct contrast to his own personal style and fashion design’s this design choice offered an insight into the German designer’s artistic preferences and his rebellious nature of advocating a interior design style which is rare. It is worth noting the Memphis interior style is committed to form, shape, structure and colour, design qualities Karl Lagerfeld was renowned for.
Karl Lagerfeld: Memphis Interior Style Studio. Photograph Credit: Karl Lagerfeld
Eileen Gray was an Anglo-Irish architect and furniture designer and a pioneer of the Modern Movement in architecture. Born in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland in 1878, Eileen Gray spent her childhood in London and was among the first women to be admitted to the Slade, where she took up painting in 1898 before undergoing an apprenticeship in a London lacquer workshop. The experience she gained in working in this highly specialised medium was to influence her profoundly when she moved to Paris in 1902. After further training in lacquer work and cabinet making, she quickly established herself as one of the leading designers of the lacquered screens and decorative panels so beloved by the followers of art deco, and even managed to cause a riot by showing a stark white lacquered boudoir at the 14th Salon des Artistes Décorateurs in 1923. Over her career, she was associated with many notable European artists of her era, including Kathleen Scott, Adrienne Gorska, Le Corbusier, and Jean Badovici, with whom she was romantically involved. Eileen Gray’s design studio embraced muted tones and pieces of furniture that broke design conventions.
Eileen Grey in her design studio. Photograph Credit: Eileen Grey
Willi Donnell Smith was an American fashion designer. At the time of his death, Smith was regarded as one of the most successful African-American designers in the fashion industry. His company, Willi-Wear Limited, launched in 1976 and by 1986 grossed over $25 million in sales. After Smith's death, his business partner, Laurie Mallet, continued the line with various designers creating collections. Without Smith, the company floundered.
Willie Smith in his design studio at Williewear Studio designed by: SITE. Photograph Credit – SITE Architecture
Frida Khalo the world renowned Mexican artist is remembered for her self-portraits, pain and passion, and bold, vibrant colours. She is celebrated in Mexico for her attention to Mexican and indigenous culture and by feminists for her depiction of the female experience and form. Kahlo, who suffered from polio as a child, nearly died in a bus accident as a teenager. She suffered multiple fractures of her spine, collarbone and ribs, a shattered pelvis, broken foot and a dislocated shoulder. She began to focus heavily on painting while recovering in a body cast. In her lifetime, she had 30 operations. During her life, self portrait is a subject that Frida Kahlo always returns to, as artists have always returned to their beloved themes - Vincent van Gogh his Sunflowers, Rembrandt his Self Portrait, and Claude Monet his Water Lilies..
Frida Khalo Design Studio. Photograph Credit: Frida Khalo Org
Jackson Pollock was an influential American painter, and the leading force behind the abstract expressionist movement in the art world. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. Jackson Pollock's greatness lies in developing one of the most radical abstract styles in the history of modern art, detaching line from colour, redefining the categories of drawing and painting, and finding new means to describe pictorial space.
Jackson Pollock was born in Cody, Wyoming in 1912. His father, LeRoy Pollock was a farmer and later a land surveyor for the government. Jackson Pollock grew up in Arizona and Chico, California. During his early life, Pollock experienced Native American culture while on surveying trips with his father. Although he never admitted an intentional imitation or following of Native American art, Jackson Pollock did concede that any similarities were probably a result of his "early memories and enthusiasm."
Jackson Pollock working in his design studio. Photograph Credit: Jackson Pollock.
Alberto Pinto was a photographer and interior designer based in Paris. Pinto designed the interiors of apartments, corporations, hotels, yachts, and jets. He had a home collection of his own and collaborated with many manufacturers, such as Raynaud and Pierre Frey. Marked by various cultural influences since his early childhood, Alberto Pinto, a legendary figure in the world of decoration and interior design, built his great work upon the mingling of cultures, the eclectic and his relentless quest for the exceptional.
After having studied at the Ecole du Louvre in Paris, Alberto Pinto set off for New York City where he created a photo agency specialized in architecture and decoration.
During several years Alberto developed his taste for interior design, notably when he had the chance to do photo shoots for the press group Condé Nast and in particular for the magazine House & Gardens, in Mexico working alongside architect Luis Baragan where he discovered the sense of volume and the power of colour, in Italy where he deepened his understanding of design, in England alongside the talented interior designer David Hicks and again during his travels to India.
Alberto Pinto Studio. Photograph Credit: Architectural Digest & Alberto Pinto
Kelly Hoppen Studio. Photograph Credit: Kelly Hoppen
David Hockney Design Studio. Photograph Credit: David Hockney
Tracey Emin. Photograph Credit: Tracey Emin
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