After A Collaboration With Kengo Kuma, What’s Next For Aman Interiors?

Hospitality brands venturing into the world of interiors is nothing new. Hotel gift shops have long offered guests a chance to take a piece of the hotel home, be it a pretty tea set or plush bedlinen.

Some brands take this side effort more seriously. Soho House proffers the eclectic decor of its members clubs with Soho Home, which retails everything from bouclé ottomans to brass mirrors. The cult Pellicano Hotels also has a standalone lifestyle label called Issimo, serving as a platform for Italian artisans and their co-branded collections with the likes of Byredo.

For luxury hotel brand Aman, entering the home and design realm is an “organic extension of our properties,” says Morad Tabrizi, CEO of Aman Interiors. Perhaps it’s not that surprising: Progressive, timeless architecture is one of Aman’s main differentiators. From Amanpuri in Phuket to Aman Tokyo, they’ve worked with legendary names such as Kerry Hill and Ed Tuttle to create hotels that celebrate the essence of each location.

The new division is also in line with the concerted effort to bring the Aman lifestyle to a wider audience—a direction set by CEO and Chairman Vladislav Doronin—which has seen the brand introduce SVA wellness supplements and leather goods under the Aman Essentials arm.

Pride of Place

While not much has been reported on Aman Interiors, it’s actually been in existence for a while. “It has been in the works for a long time, and our studio has been up and running in London for almost two years now,” says Tabrizi. The foray into furniture is in response to the desire of “Aman Junkies”, a tribe loyal to the brand, to have a tactile representation of the Aman ethos in their own spaces.

Their first initiative was the Foundations Collection, a capsule designed in-house that epitomizes the quiet luxury aesthetic pioneered at their resorts. The collection was showcased last December to a select audience at Doronin’s private home, and it is available to purchase this year.

What has made more headlines, however, is an exhibition launched at Design Miami: a collaboration with Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the visionary behind the Tokyo Olympic Stadium and the upcoming Aman Miami Beach Residences. They introduced Migumi, a limited-edition furniture collection designed by Kuma that is a tribute to nature.

Described as a “conversation between the furniture and architecture”, the Migumi collection features materials such as white oak and Calacatta marble and showcases Kuma’s boundless innovation when it comes using his favourite material—wood.

The puzzle-like bases of the signature chair and table echo that of his buildings, which often feature wooden slats and slabs. The collection is made by expert artisans in Higashikawa, Japan and they’re just the kind of pieces you can imagine in the home of a considered collector.

Grand Artistry

One can expect future collections with other talents in their stable which include Jean-Michel Gathy and Olson Kundig—but it won’t be limited to their current partners. “We will also explore collaborations with others considered greats in this arena if they have a similar ethos and creative vision in which we can collectively celebrate Aman’s revered design aesthetic.” Along with exclusive designer-led collaborations, Tabrizi says they also plan to grow the Foundations Collection to include hero items that “represent the intangible feeling of Aman.”

Apart from physical creations that allow one own a piece of the brand, Aman Interiors is going deeper into the soul of making a home: they will also provide a full-service design solution and an art-centered approach to interiors.

“This year, we are focused on delivering interior concepts for Aman Miami Beach Residences, as we are offering our owners the opportunity to work with us on a bespoke furniture that has been designed and curated specifically with this project in mind,” adds Tabrizi. “In five years’ time, our vision for Aman Interiors is to have a series of gallery spaces offering an experiential element as well as a location to showcase our designs and meet with clients.”