Luxury Portfolio Vol. 06 Issue 01 - Arizona Best

LIFESTYLE || LUXURY PORTFOLIO INTERNATIONAL ®

LP: How did you initially become involved in interior design work? AC: I started my career in movie set design, then at Ralph Lauren Home in Los Angeles. LP: What has it been like working on both the East and West coasts? Do you find what people are looking for to be very different? AC: Great design is beloved on both coasts. I do think the West Coast, especially Los Angeles, is influenced by the climate and Mediterranean lifestyle. Water, beach, relaxed environments. New York City pulsates and is always current with the influence stemming from the art and fashion world. The colder climate also changes some of the overall design aesthetic. LP: How do you feel your design work has evolved since you first began your career? AC: You grow with your work and with your life experiences. I think you never stop learning and being exposed through travel, friendships and projects. I believe that is the greatest part of creativity and design, it always flows. I am also heavily influenced by great designers of the past such as Dorothy Draper (American interior decorator) or Syrie Maugham (leading British interior decorator of the 1920s and 1930s). LP: Tell us how you began working with Fendi Casa and how that relationship has evolved? AC: I met Mr. Alberto Vignatelli, the owner and visionary of Fendi Casa and Luxury Living, a year ago during our collaboration for Holiday House (celebrating the best in interior design and holiday entertaining in NYC, while supporting the fight against breast cancer) and the BCRF (Breast Cancer Research Foundation). He admired the space I designed and a piece of furniture I designed and commissioned. A year later here I am aiding in the expansion of the company in the U.S. as Creative Director and Vice President.

LP: What do you see for the future of interior design? Are there certain trends on the rise? AC: Design will always grow and expand. The biggest influence now in our market is the Internet, from social media to Google, design is so easily accessible. Sites like 1st dibs and Houzz have changed the industry and exposure. As far as trends, I anticipate great design, impeccable quality, fun spirit, and timeless elegance. LP: Do you have a favorite design project that you completed in the past or one you are preparing for in the future? AC: I loved working with Kip Forbes on Forbes Magazine’s Private Club room on Fifth Avenue. Such amazing art, antiques, and American history. It was exciting. I am highly anticipating Luxury Living’s new collaboration with Ritz Paris. How exciting to be part of that production and collaboration! LP: You do a lot of charitable interior design work with Fendi Casa. Are the charities you’ve worked with significant passions of yours? AC: Yes, they are very much. I believe in the charity work I do for the BCRF and for Panthera. When you join forces to aide and help others it is a major catalyst for happiness within and a better world to take part. Any time I give comes back to me tenfold. Not to mention the friends, family and life experience along the way. It exemplifies Luxury Living and what our brand believes in as well. “I THINK YOU NEVER STOP LEARNING AND BEING EXPOSED THROUGH TRAVEL, FRIENDSHIPS AND PROJECTS. I BELIEVE THAT IS THE GREATEST PART OF CREATIVITY AND DESIGN, IT ALWAYS FLOWS. ”

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