“It has been exactly twenty years since, with the launch of the first Armani/Casa collection, I began to structure the project of a total lifestyle, extending my vision and aesthetics to interior decorating. Today, Armani/Casa has become an established design force and still represents now, as it did at the beginning, a stimulating opportunity, the place where research and experimenting give life to objects and environments that reflect my idea of design, luxurious and essential. Thus, unique, sophisticated atmospheres take shape from a taste for the most precious materials, enhanced by pure lines, exquisite craftsmanship and natural, harmonious colors.”
Giorgio Armani
There is a taste for decorating interiors that tells of a sense of beauty –contemporary yet deeply rooted– where every material, every object, every detail attests to an original fusion of creativity and expert craftsmanship. That taste engendered the Armani/Casa project, which celebrates its twentieth anniversary today. Originated from the curiosity of exploring new environments –emerged as early as in the 1980s with the Logo Lamp, which at the time became the hallmark of the entire line– and fed by the extraordinary ability to imagine subtle exchanges between different sensibilities and cultures, the project represents the practical extensions of the aesthetic ideal of Giorgio Armani beyond the confines of fashion. Since its early days, the new world of interior decorating reflects the constant dialogue between minimalism and décor, tradition and innovation. Oriental inspirations from the 1920s and Art Déco, shapes, elements and colors taken from the world of nature –a privileged habitat where dream meets reality– guide over the years collections that create refined atmospheres.
The allure of the 1930s-1940s aesthetics, that often inspired the designer in his fashion creations, is found in the design of furniture and home accessories, evoked, without nostalgia, by the constant interplay of references to the past and attention to the present. Looking at the work of the most renowned French decorators of the time, the designer chooses precious materials –mother-of-pearl, galuchat, rare woods– and enhances their beauty with unusual pairings and details that bring out their uniqueness.
Every object is the result of a complex, painstaking process from research to design, from experimenting to the final production. In a close dialogue with the best Italian master craftsmen, which reveals a renewed interest in rediscovering processes used by small local manufacturers, every element of Armani/Casa–furniture, home accessories, wall and floor coverings and textiles–tells a story. Like the precious and delicate Murano glass, created by skilled master glass makers, that become lamps with a solid and contemporary look. And again, in the sophisticated manual techniques of Ocean Lacques, that recreate the effect of water transparency on surfaces or straw marquetry, the craft of applying straw ribbons previously flattened by hand.
Over the years, the Armani/Casa project broadened its horizons further, embracing a total vision of style. From the collaborations with specialized companies, world leaders in their fields, the collection encompasses all home environments. Since 2008 Armani/Dada has been designing functional kitchen interiors, while, from 2010, Armani/Roca focuses on concepts for the bathroom.
The “Armani/Casa Exclusive Textiles by Rubelli” line, launched in 2009, offers luxury textiles. “Armani/Casa Exclusive Wall-coverings Collection” was launched in 2014, as a partnership between Armani/Casa and Jannelli&Volpi for the creation of wall coverings.
In 2004, to address the growing demand for bespoke designer projects for private clients and developers, the Interior Design Studio was established: the service of interior design with high qualitative standards to reflect the principles of elegance and harmony of Armani’s aesthetics. The first important achievement is the 2010 inauguration of the Armani Hotel in Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, followed by the 2011 opening of the second Armani Hotel in Milan, a few steps away from the historic Brera district and via Montenapoleone.
Since then, many projects of luxury residences in the world’s major cities have been designed and completed, offering original solutions both for home interiors and for multiform amenities in residential complexes: from Manila to Mumbai, from Miami to Istanbul, from Tel Aviv to Chengdu, from London to Beijing and New York. In 2015, The Art of Living, a retrospective exhibition of the most significant projects designed by Interior Design Studio Armani/Casa around the world was inaugurated in Milan and presented later in Beijing in 2016.
The 2017 opening of the world’s largest retail store, in corso Venezia, Milan, marked yet another major achievement. The store opens onto one of the city’s most beautiful streets, and through its sophisticated ambiances, showcases the essence of Giorgio Armani’s design in a space imagined as a fluid atelier, versatile and constantly evolving.
Over the years, Armani/Casa has created authentic collection pieces for special occasions, like the Justin desk, produced in a limited edition of 40 numbered pieces to celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary or the exclusive Logo Lamp limited edition, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of its creation.
Today, Armani/Casa has a commercial network all over the world, with stores in major cities, including Milan, Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing.
Armani/Casa Vancouver
1656 W 2nd Ave, Vancouver BC V6J 1H4
Office: + 1 604-423-2814