Built In A Day
Fashion maven Giorgio Armani reveals the secret that distinguish his inimitable style in interior design as his first Asian project unveils in India

Come 2014, India will scale the peak of another record when the Lodha Group unveils the largest residential tower in the world: the Lodha World One, in Mumbai. The skyscraper will rise almost a half kilometer dwarfing the Gold Coast's Q1, New York's Empire State and Chicago's Sears Tower.
The legendary Italian designer Giorgio Armani is amongst the several prominent names involved in the design, construction and development of the project. This collaboration is rare considering that Armani takes on only one interior design assignment per continent, making his work on the Lodha tower an Asian exclusive. The residences in the world's tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, is already part of the achievements of Giorgio Armani's interior design division, Armani/Casa. For the World Towers, Armani has set out to create a sense of comfort and functionality by combining shapes, textures and colours perfectly distributed within the area. Here the couture king reveals a respect for natural materials, Indian history, and a surprisingly intact experimental streak. In the world of luxury, Armani is still hailed for his simplicity, which would seem a contradiction.

In His Own Words
A simple gesture is not necessarily born of a simple thought. Actually it is the fruit of sophisticated thinking. It is a principal I apply to all my creative endeavours including interior design. Just look at the scan of pure lines which make both the space and the decor stand out in the showcase apartment of the World Towers.
I committed myself to doing research which had me profoundly involved, because every architectural solution, from the layout of the space to the finish on the furniture have been carefully studied to create intimacy, a sense of relaxation and well-being by going along with the energy flow which dictates space arrangement.
I have also introduced elements which underline the influences of the country where this project is coming into being. Careful research by the Armani/Casa Interior Design Studio made space for a new interpretation of the delicate textures and fretwork that are emblematic of India's artistic heritage. A delicate and diaphanous weave, which lets air and light through becomes the focal point of the three-panel sliding door in solid mahogany with a corresponding backlit intrados which both separates and connects the dining room to the large living room. Fretwork, craftsmanship, workmanship, metallic reflections of leaves of white gold, liquid metal and treatment on the walls, all this pays particular attention to the incredibly rich Indian iconography, and allows me to reinterpret key themes in contemporary key. A distant and alluring culture thus becomes a project element that is both unique and symbolic, representing its finer nuances.
Colours And Materials
My colour palette is usually made up of natural colours centered around beiges and grays, as well as black, white and navy. New colours allowed me to play with light. For example, the walls' panelling is in technical fabric which is both refined and easy to maintain. The children's room is in peacock blue, the master bedroom in bronze, and platinum and sage green have been used in the two other double bedrooms. The bathrooms follow suit and are in veined marble, in a freshly hued grey. I have also used a refined fantasy brown marble, and Brazilian green labradorite, which gives each bathroom that is teamed with its own bedroom, a unique personality.
As far as materials are concerned I am attracted to natural ones even if these are almost always treated with very sophisticated techniques in order to make them more functional. One of the latest types of craftsmanship I have been drawn to is straw marquetry, an exclusively French technique used in 1920s and 1930s that fell out of favour because of the technique was labour intensive and detailed. Here, single strands of straw are patiently flattened and smoothed out with a small hand-hid hammer, and then cut individually to the exact size required to create a given pattern.

Fashion's Influence
In my ongoing work with new projects, I position myself like a pioneer of design. However, in doing so, I always remain true to my cult of elegance and refinement. So what happens is that I add new materials and fabrics, and new manufacturing techniques, which make my designs truly avant-grade and contemporary but the overall impression remains that of classic elegance so that both the clothing and furniture always reflect the inimitable Armani style. What I try to do with my concepts is to respect the history of the country while drawing on my sense of aesthetics. It's a difficult balancing act, but that is exactly my challenge.

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