Champalimaud Design explore how interior designers are redefining and elevating spaces for the UHNW market.
2024 witnessed a global increase of UHNWIs by 4.2%, with these figures reflected by the rise in demand for luxury real estate, according to Knight Frank’s 2024 Wealth Report. The new generation of UHNW is now far more mobile and connected, influencing their leaning towards design that is more thoughtful, considered, and grounded in quality and longevity.
Interior design studios are seeing a marked increase in the desire for ultra-personalised interiors and understated luxury within the homes of the super-affluent. From refrigerated makeup drawers to bespoke beauty salons and home cinemas, the appeal to UHNWIs lie in the level of detail in personalisation; the curation of a one-of-a-kind space that is completely tailored to the owner’s needs.
Champalimaud Design is the internationally-acclaimed New York-based design studio behind some of the world’s most bespoke luxury residential and hospitality projects, with an ethos rooted in creating timeless and sophisticated designs that considers the needs and aspirations of their clients.
Marking the first and only hotel in London to be composed of all-suites, The Emory is a subtle yet seemingly permanent establishment, an architecture of solidity and dependability, crafted by the visionary architect Richard Rogers. The interiors draw on the residential experience of Champalimaud Design to create a functional and integrated design with a luxe and sophisticated feel, complemented by an aura of calm and warmth.
“We worked with a cohesive mix of rich and tactile woods, soft colour lacquers and warm metals to create a quiet environment focused on the shapes and simplicity of the design,” says Jun Chun, Principal at Champalimaud Design. “Most of the furniture was also custom designed by our studio. We created a headboard with bespoke details like upholstered channels, brass hooks to hang a replaceable headboard cover, and beautiful champagne brass metal edges following the soft curve of the headboard.”
Champalimaud Design also brings its inimitable brand of style and bespoke customisation to Palazzo Della Luna. Nestled on the private Fischer Island just off the coast of Miami, the luxury beach residence is fitted out with a butler-serviced aperitivo bar, sunrise and sunset infinity-edge pools, and a beauty salon with private treatment suites. By crafting a series ofspaces that are epicurean yet subdued, and curating bespoke finishes, the public realm provides a sense of “luxury upon arrival” while the residences become havens of serenity. Material choices such as plaster bas relief, gilded glass, statuary marble,terrazzo,and cerused oak contribute to an atmosphere of understated elegance & ease with just the right touch of indulgence.
“We are seeing a direct crossover between multifamily residences and hotels revolving around exclusivity, privacy, and private membership. As a designer, you can have real fun with this. We are beginning to curate rich and layered experiences in the hotel, for example ‘restaurants within restaurants’ designed exclusively for the residents,” says Kajsa Krause, Principal and Director of Strategy at Champalimaud Design.
Based in the affluent town of Bedford, in New York’s Westchester County, Brook Hollow Farm is a luxurious stately estate situated on 48 acres of land, housing a standalone wellness complex, a 72-foot pool, a private aromatherapy room and a grand home theatre – owned in the 90s by Sony’s former CEO, Tommy Mottola.
Champalimaud Design oversaw the renovation of the estate, maintaining many elements of the original 1920s design, namely the staircase, arched doors, and fireplaces, whilst transforming the home by pairing natural and organic materials with contemporary furnishings and arts. Design highlights include a light-filled solarium with views over the backyard, a dramatic, floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, and the vaulted skylight above the marble island.
“One important aspect of what we do is to anticipate people’s needs. To make an experience effortless instils that strange yet familiar feeling of luxury. Part of the equation is our selection of materiality. Natural materials such as wood, real stone and natural fibres in fabric not only create a sense of “high touch” to the hand but also grant longevity to the spaces and align with the notion of sustainable design,” says Krause.
Always approaching projects with longevity in mind, Champalimaud Design has an innate understanding of how people can best interact with a space, as spotlighted in The Pearl Lounge, Bahrain International Airport. The studio and the client worked together to think outside of what a classic airport lounge design could be, resulting in an airport lounge with a one-of-a-kind offering. The lounge decor and furnishings, all custom designed, are of a truly exceptional standard, with cultural references laced throughout. Long, snake-like couches in the lounge emulate seating areas in the Majlis, the Arabic term for sitting room, and evokethe natural sense of movement around the lounge. Even the name, Pearl lounge, is a nod to pearl diving which forms a key part of Bahrain’s cultural identity.
“You have people coming off all of these different airlines from Europe and the Middle East, and they might have long layovers between flights,” says Ed Bakos, CEO at Champalimaud Design. “But the difference is that the Pearl Lounge is not branded to a particular airline. It’s branded to Bahrain.”
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