Hospitality Design - November 2015 - 89

ANNABELLE
SELLDO∏F

PERSPECTIVES INTERVIEW

Photography by
Christopher Sturman,
Jonathan Chesley,
Todd Eberle,
and Marc Lins

1

∏EST∏AINED
ELEGANCE

A German-born architect's subdued
and purposeful design

As founding principal of the 1988-established
Selldorf Architects in New York, Annabelle
Selldorf's recent projects in the city alone range
from the Martha Washington hotel and Marta
restaurant to high-rise residences along the
High Line and an award-winning recycling
facility in Brooklyn, New York. Here, Alexandra
Champalimaud asks the architect about her early
inspirations, her choice of New York over Paris,
and her penchant for restraint.

What innovation has impacted design
most profoundly over the past two
decades?
Computer-aided design has deeply changed
design; it affects every aspect of design and

production, and as technology evolves, it
continues to change how people approach design.

How would you describe your signature
style? Have your travels or commissions
influenced your approach and aesthetic?
The question of signature style is difficult
to answer per se. Our work is not readily
recognizable in a single gesture or a style but
rather through an attitude. We try to create an
architecture that is focused on place, on purpose,
and on finding a clear, specific, strong, and
beautiful resolution to a problem. Naturally, my
travels and the diversity of the commissions are
an influence; I do believe the visual experience
we accumulate finds its way into our work,
whether it be the materials we use or a detail or
a particular architectural composition or urban
construct.

You've been interviewed countless
times. Is there a question you're
surprised that no one has asked?

I don't often get asked about the team of
people I work with in our studio. I have four
incredibly talented and capable partners, and a
group of amazing and smart creative architects in
the office. Our work together is inspiring and fun
for me, which is a great privilege.

1. Residential project the
Walden House in Vail,
Colorado overlooks a
pond and the surrounding
Gore Range and New York
Mountain.

Your father was an architect and your
mother was trained as an artist-they
must have been your original source of
inspiration growing up. How were you
able to incorporate these influences into
your own aesthetic?

Certainly I credit both of my parents very much
with what I consider to be my taste, how I look
at spaces, colors, textures, objects-I believe
that has a lot to do with their way of looking at
the world. While I think that how I approach
design has been shaped by my parents'
creative background, of course it is not the only
inspiration. I feel very lucky to have studied with
some wonderful professors who have inspired me
but ultimately we have to work at-and challenge
the ways in which we think-not becoming
complacent, and continuing to shape our own
thinking and remaining open to new ideas.

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