21 Feb 4 international benchmarks in interior design

This month FMY brings you 4 international benchmarks in interior design.

Four names you can’t miss out, four internationally renowned figures in our sector.

Some of them have their studios in our country, and others have even set foot in the aisles of our Fair.

Building synergies and getting to know furniture companies in our city.

Their projects have circled the globe from Italy, France, Latin America and the United Kingdom.

Let’s get to know them a little better.

ILMIODESIGN (Italy) – Introducing their origins

The perfect duo.

Michele Corbani, architect, and Andrea Spada, industrial designer, form ILMIODESIGN.

The Italian-born duo met in Salamanca and currently have their studio in Madrid.

They work on their projects with a multidisciplinary vision and a global approach, which has led them to work not only in Spain but also in other places such as New York and Los Angeles.

Their three keystones are:  client, user and environment.

These fundamentals have been applied to the interior design of hotels, restaurants, residential projects and professional spaces (offices and retail), always seeking a return to craftsmanship and an approach that is as committed to ethics as it is to aesthetics, covering both physical and psychological needs.

One of their most outstanding projects was, by far, the Royal Hideway Hotel, located in the Canfranc International Railway Station, in Aragon.

A former train station transformed in 2023 into a 5-star hotel in the Grand Luxury category with 104 rooms.

ILMIODESIGN has managed to give a second life to a classic and majestic space, bringing a contemporary touch, but respecting and integrating at all times the character and grandeur of the station into their project.

India Mahdavi (France) – Joy and colour

India Mahdavi is an architect and an interior designer.

She displays a very personal style, close to pop, lively and colourful, keeping her oriental roots, just like herself.

Mahdavi has designed all kinds of spaces throughout her career worldwide.

From the Hôtel du Cloître in Arles, France, or the Monte-Carlo Beach Hotel in Monaco, to The Gallery at Sketch in London or the Ladurée hotels in Los Angeles or Tokyo.

From all her projects, we wanted to highlight this one: the Brasserie Le Germain, in Paris.

Developed in collaboration with Thierry Costes, this was her first public space in Paris and it aims to give a new look to the typical Parisian bistro, by incorporating pixel-art-like grids, colours and lighting.

The entire interior revolves around Sophie, a 5-metre-high yellow metal statue created by the artist Xavier Veilhan.

A place in which, in India Mahdavi’s own words, she ‘wanted to play with proportions, scale and patterns to deconstruct and experiment’.

Diego Gronda / Studio Gronda (Argentina) – The hotel master

‘The architect who designs the world’s greatest hotels’.

It was with these words that a report in El Mundo on 16 January described him.

Diego Gronda, a global designer with over 25 years’ leadership in architecture and interior design, is the founder of Studio Gronda, located in Spain since 2005.

Throughout his career, the world’s leading contract and hotel chains have placed their trust in him, such as: Grand & Park Hyatt Hotels, InterContinental Hotels, Mandarin Oriental, Nobu Hospitality, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, Luxury Collection Hotels and Virgin Hotels.

Chains that turn to Gronda for his ability to create successful environments and new identities. In fact, in 2024, Gronda was awarded the Interihotel MAD24 prize in Madrid for his Professional Career in Hotel and Restaurant Design.

The tycoon and owner of the multinational company Virgin, Sir Richard Branson, entrusted Diego Gronda with his new hotel’s opening in Chicago.

Giving shape to 250 rooms, 38 one-bedroom suites and 2 penthouse suites, as well as the main restaurant, a street-side diner, a café, a wine bar, and a spa, represented a real challenge.

Where every corner breathes out the company’s values and rooms flee from the traditional layout to make the most of space, using it and playing up with all different options.

Ilse Crawford / STUDIOILSE (England) – Humanistic and responsible interiors

Ilse Crawford is the soul of Studioilse in the heart of London.

Designer, teacher and creative director in her own studio, Crawford also directed the Eindhoven Design Academy for 20 years, where she was the founder of the Man and Wellbeing Department.

Ilse Crawford is a pioneer of humanistic and responsible design, applying it to environments, objects and experiences.

She is a strong believer that design can help us to be better individuals, always looking –  in her projects –  for a positive mental and environmental impact.

The following two projects provide a good example of her style.

Firstly, an example of habitat. In this Milan flat, a 40-square-metre garage opens up and turns into a contemporary flat full of light and natural features.

Secondly, Lounge Hotel interiors, located in the Plaza 66 skyscraper in Shanghai, where organic forms, light and nature still appear as key elements in which everything revolves around.

As usual, at FMY we want this blog to be a space for you.

A place where you can get to know references, trends and interesting information about our industry.

We hope you have enjoyed this article.

FMY