India comes by her international world-view honestly. Born of Persian and Egyptian English parents, the designer was named after the country in which she was conceived, during her parent's honeymoon. As a child, she lived the first year and a half of her life in Iran, followed by a globe-trotting path that lead her from Cambridge, Massachusetts to Germany and New York before landing in Paris, where she resides today. Her education, just as varied, began in architecture at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris, followed by a stint in New York, where she studied industrial design and graphic design at the School of Visual Arts and, after that, furniture design at Parsons.
As an international interiors, furniture and objects designer, India's work is influenced by memories of her nomadic life. Each of her projects, be it a bar, restaurant, hotel, private residence or a piece of furniture, carries in it elements that are modern yet familiar. Her style is by turns playful, sexy and chic, and she's not afraid to let her femininity come through in her work.
India grew up wanting to be a filmmaker; therefore, it's not surprising that her interiors have a dramatic, almost theatrical quality to them. In her mind, a space is a three-dimensional story waiting to be told. She admires the work of Stanley Kubrick and Federico Fellini and, when asked by Index Magazine who her heroes were, she laughingly replied, "James Bond... He's sexy, and it always puts me in a good mood when I see him." Kind of like Mahdavi's own work, don't you think?
First Row:
1. Coburg Bar, London 2008
2. Jean-François Piège, Paris 2010
3. Germain, Paris 2009
4. Monte Carlo Beach, Monaco 2009
5. Barclay Prime, Philadelphia 2004
Second Row:
1. The Peacock, Rowsley, Derbyshire (UK) 2004
2. Maison Thoumieux, Paris 2011
3. Condesa DF, Mexico City 2004
4. On Rivington, New York 2005
5. Private residence, New York 2003
Third Row:
1. Bishop - ceramic table/stool
2. Diamonds - bookshelf
3. (Left to right) Kiss me, Luciole, Karaba - lamps
4. Bluffer - sofa
5. Dot - stool
More about India Mahdavi from the AT archives and around the web:
• Condesa DF Hotel Interiors by India Mahdavi
• Germain: Eye-Popping Interior by India Mahdavi
• Interview with India Mahdavi, pt. 1 & Interview with India Mahdavi, pt. 2
• India Mahdavi, 2002
• Design Lessons from the Condesa DF Mexico City
Images: India Mahdavi, except 11. Ralph Pucci
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Recipe: Thai Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry
THAT SOFA. *feverishly writes letter to Santa*
I don't know India Mahdavi personally but I do know about her work.
I WANNNNNT THAT SOFA!!!!!!!!
and I think that i'm going to have to beat uniquemonique to get Santa to bring me one first.... I'd redo an entire room for that sofa...
heck- I'd redo my whole house for that sofa.
Ha! Is that first sentence meant to be funny? And I don't understand why she and/or her designs are 'exotic.' Every high end to budget retail outlet in North America sells faux eastern designs. Global, cross-cultural influences are everywhere in design. There's no need for the continuous objectification of items from other parts of the world as something 'different'.
Hmmm... maybe when I have my sofa recovered I'll do that...
Does India need a BFF? I'll make an opening!
I love her work individually for its modern intrigue and familiarity.
As a body of works, I love that each piece, room, and idea are distinct, but that they are equally her. There is a sense of where the pieces came from to all of her work: that it is relative to things past, but there is always an element of India in them.
I went for a drink in the Coburg bar the other day. It's lovely if expensive!
Anyone know where can I get that orange ottoman from the first picture? I've been looking for months for something like that.