The savant of the visual, Anouska Hempel is revered across the world for her originality and for her influence. Her vision of a utopian world encompasses luxury design from landscapes, gardens, hotels and residential to retail, yachts, couture and more. Designing for the ‘total-experience’, Hempel’s imagination knows no bounds. This is a designer who sees everything and instinctively understands it, and the year 2020 will see Anouska Hempel Design celebrate the continuation of the contemporary idiom.
A handbook is provided upon completion of any project, outlining the design and with an extensive list describing the operation of every element. The moment you set foot aboard the tightly run ship of Anouska Hempel Design, the driving force behind the journey is the meticulous attention to detail from concept right through to completion.
The moment you set foot aboard the tightly run ship of Anouska Hempel Design, the driving force behind the journey is the meticulous attention to detail from concept to completion
‘I am influenced by art and travel,’ Hempel says, ‘by how I am pushed and pulled. I find inspiration in every nook of life – from museums to opera, from east to west and beyond.’ This is clearly how every project becomes a stand- alone brand in itself, from Louis Vuitton, Paris, to The Duxton Hotel, Singapore, and on to one of her current projects on the banks of the Bosporus – a sprawling Palace in Istanbul.
There is always mystery, romance, theatre and perfection, a corner for every inch of thought alongside beauty, delight and charm. Hempel simply leaves no stone unturned. No exceptions have been made with her most recent project, Monsieur George in Paris. It is the latest in a string of hotels across the world, joining an ever-expanding rich portfolio of hospitality projects, including the Helvetia & Bristol Florence, Castille Paris and Hotel d’Inghilterra Rome, as well as London’s The Franklin and Blakes hotels and Grosvenor House Suites on Park Lane. Of the latter, Hempel was once asked by a customer from Kuwait if his apartment could have a sea view. ‘Each space holds a story of its own and dictates how that story should be told,’ Hempel insists. ‘I then create the backdrop for other people to live their glorious lives in. It’s like a play that keeps on going and I give them the stage and the steam to keep running. I always aim to create warmth and wonder.’
In this way, Anouska Hempel’s designs are a journey from inside to out and back again. ‘Use the good bones of what you have and enhance them,’ she says. ‘Transform, reinvent, reimagine and create. You don’t have to change it all. But ultimately it’s about the volumes and spaces you create and the juxtaposition of life within them. Whether it’s on the modern minimalist side or the more evocative romantic side, every space evokes a different set of challenges, but throughout it all you must always ask yourself the question – am I being true to myself?’
This is undoubtedly Hempel’s signature – an effortless ability to dream up designs that never cease to follow where imagination goes. ‘Design, refine and repeat – that is my philosophy,’ she concludes, ‘and if you surround yourself with people that instinctively understand the way you see the world, you can’t go wrong.’
