AALTO make spaces functional, safe, and visually appealing. But not just that - they’ve got the talent to bring into space a sense of balance and harmony while spicing it up with bold, groovy and decisive additions.
Their ultimate quest is to create beautiful spaces that will please and inspire their occupants while making the design functional and practical.
How do they achieve this? We’ve sat down with AALTO, our chosen creative interior designers who designed our two show flats ( 1 & 2), in our pursuit of finding out how one makes the space functional yet imaginative and reflecting our personalities.
¨A motto we like to transmit to our interior design concepts is the idea of ¨living big¨, meaning that life should be lived and enjoyed fully, and your home’s or even office’s décor should reflect and facilitate that idea.¨
Their design studio is located on the Golden Mile and its showroom will not leave you indifferent - some pieces of art you’ll see are quite impactful. Filled with one good piece of furniture after another, they certainly know how to bring both, balance and the Va Va Voom like flair.
Except for being an interior design studio, they’re also a furniture brand that designs and manufactures its own collections. What it means is that they can custom make bespoke pieces, which include furnishings and upholstery that cannot be bought off the shelf anywhere else.
They can offer the best of both worlds being both the designer and manufacturer.
Come and take a look, and be prepared for the ¨wow¨effect. AALTO are good at creating a space that will bring a smile on your face and make you heave a sigh of relief when you finally arrive home. A quote that we feel reflects theirs (and ours) philosophy the most is by Albert Hadley, a renowned interior designer from New York:
"The essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live. It is about the realities of what makes for an attractive, civilised, meaningful environment, not about fashion or what's in or what's out. This is not an easy job."
Albert Hadley
In interior design, how would you describe your style?
Our characteristic style is contemporary, with hints of eclecticism and distinctive Ethnic, Asian, Nordic, mid-century or other influences that add a distinctive personality to an overall design.
¨We always aim to create original and sophisticated interiors - exactly that most of our clients deserve.¨
Also, bearing in mind our location in Costal del Sol, we introduce the “Marbella touch” in the form of extravagant accessories, colour schemes or Spanish, rich patterns. As AALTO is both a furniture brand that designs and manufactures its own collections and an interior design studio that works with its clients to create bespoke décor solutions, we can offer the best of both worlds within any combination of the two.
What inspires you? How do you create an interior design project, whether it is a commercial one or a home?
The inspiration many times comes from the space itself, the architecture, the location, type of use of the property, the individuality of the owner, existing finishes that cant be changed etc. There are so many options and no right or wrong; it just has to feel right and beautiful. We try to find the most attractive look given all parameters and clients’ budgets.
¨Design is testing and experimenting with fabrics, materials, shapes, patterns or starting from scratch with a different distribution, just to see how it all blends in altogether.¨
It is about being coherent, having a “base theme” that is distributed over the space to which we introduce layers of colour touches, décor accents and lighting to enhance the result and create a unique ambience.
Inspiration comes from looking at today’s trends, without necessarily following them. We’re always keen on exploring artisanal work of local artists and latest collections from all major high-end furniture brands. At AALTO we dedicate a lot of time to sourcing original art and décor from all corners of the world, which we also expose in our showroom.
Give us a piece of design/decoration that you’re particularly fond of.
Our speciality is dressing up the wall surfaces; we like to use wall panelling, wall décor, art or various types of wall coverings to create a backdrop for the room furnishing. It adds interesting texture contrast, often combined with warm well-positioned indirect lighting.
How do you combine beauty and function?
With furniture pieces, functionality and good looks always go hand in hand. There is no point in pretty but non-functional solutions. When it comes to art or decorative objects, we can get spoiled and focus on just pure beauty and the eye-pleasing effect that gives the emotion you expect from the art.
When working on the design of interiors for Marbella Club Hills, what did you pay attention to the most?
¨Marbella Club Hills is set in a beautiful green surrounding with golf courses and sea views, it is especially quiet and well lit.¨
The goal was to make a tailor-made interior simply destined for the perfect relaxation. We used light colour schemes allowing the views to be the focal point of the rooms. We found the natural and soft materials to bring extra comfort and bespoke items to accommodate the existing distributions.
What interior design tips could you give to all homeowners of Marbella Club Hills?
¨Don’t replicate something you are used to at home, come out of your comfort zone and dare to have something that makes you instantly feel like you’re being on holidays. Bring in some local touches, light colours or some bold additions. When in need, we’re here - ready to make an oasis out of your home.¨
