comprehensive projects (first class, 1-2/2003)

yasmine mahmoudiehs philosophy is it to combine contemporary and very functional design with excellent service. ‘innovation instead of convention’ is her guideline. with the help of her team unique hotel projects develop which are charactarized by strategically thought through and aesthetically high standardized design conceptions.

interior design as econimic factor becomes a sensual mediator of corporate identity for hotels. the list of her finished projects reaches from the kempinski hotels baltschug in moscow and bad saarow to the restaurant ‘die möve’ in berlin. a 4-star design hotel for disabled near berlin was built with her interior architecture. she used completely new materials and the areas for physiotherapy were concipated in a functional but unsusual design.’everything we designed for the rooms was always checked from the perspective of a disabled person. to avoid a step in the swimming pool we integrated a slide. because objects for disabled should be functional but can be beautiful at the same time’, says yasmine mahmoudieh.

comfort and functionality
yasmine mahmoudieh worked on the renovation of the wellknown hamburg alster-pavillon and the hotel four seasons at the river alster. the reknown interior architect works currently on hotel projects like the resorthotel berchtesgaden and the radisson sas berlin – the domaquarée. in the project of the resorthotel berchtesgaden she combined the beauty of the unique landscape and the nature with the impressive architecture of the hotel. the leitmotiv of the interior architecture is the feeling of a very inviting and comfortable gesture. the partly enormous size of the rooms, alone from the enormous heights of the ceiling, was contrasted by different intimate areas. here the functionality of a highly frequented hotel was calculated as well as the comfort. throughout the hotel natural materials, like different woods and natural stones as well as different kinds of glass were used. also the fabrics have the form and colour of nature ranging from warm earthy tones to the orange and red of sun set and all shades of blue and green. the wood was used with differen surface structures. the chimney is made of bavarien natural stone and finishes in wood while the natural stone stands for solid structure and the wood for human contact. the floor except for the bar is completely made of light grey natural stone.

it has to be unusual
details in design play an important role here. true luxury is characterized by selected natural materials, innovative lighting and harmonic forms. the message is demure also for reasons of the historical background of the area the future hotel will be situated in so that guests of any age will feel comfortable here. the unique surroundings and the timeless style will give this hotel an unforgettable character.

‘my design concepts are based on unusual ideas which i execute in optically unique sorroundings without using standard solutions. to combine originality and functionality with economic thinking is my intention. i want to reach the people through my design’, explains mahmoudieh her philosophy for the concept of the ‘domaquarée’ in berlin.

at a historic place in the heart of berlin the new radisson sas berlin is buit, a 4-star hotel for which mahmoudieh design creates the whole public areas, like the bar, the seating areas and the lobby with the largest aquarium of the world (18m), as well as the guest rooms. the completely new built hotel shows a straightness and functionality that is characterized by the typical facade of natural stone and its retreating floors. the hotel which will probably be finished in 2003/2004 is a modern design hotel for business travellers as well as for berlin tourists.

among the 430 rooms are standard rooms, junior suites, a president suite and rooms for disabled and people with allergies. in the public area are two restaurants one of which has a large terrace that opens to the riverside of the spree and gives a spectecular view of the berlin dom and the river spree. in the lobby the guests can retreat on comfortable seating possiblities whith an impressive view of the aquarium – the central eyecatcher of the lobby. the lounge area is presented to the guests throughout the day with different lighting moods.

seperate worlds – to the detail
yasmine mahmoudieh does not just design hotels. she wants to touch the emotions of people. ‘the moment someone enters a hotel is important’, she enhances. ‘you have to feel immediately that you are welcome. in some hotels the small details that add to the feeling of comfort are missing so the guests are offended by uncomfortable negative feelings.

yasmine mahmoudieh was born in hamburg in 1961 and studied history of art in florence, architecture in geneva and interior architecture in san francisco and los angeles were she got her diploma. she founded the architectural design group international in los angeles. 1986 she had her first studio in los angeles and later opened further studios in berlin, hamburg, london and barcelona. today she has her headquarters in berlin. she won numerous prizes for her work as interior architect and is lecturing at reknown universities and economy clubs as well as international events. at the ecole hotelière de lausanne she teaches architecture and design concepts for hotels. in 1992 she founded mahmoudieh concepts (mc). here she develops innovative project concepts and advises multinational companies as well as midsize and small offices in terms of marketing and branding strategies as part of her work scope such as new service concepts. the company philosophy of mc and md is based on two facts: comprehensive usage concepts on the one hand and interior design on the other hand. innovative usage concepts for international hotel and commercial projects, development of food concepts, service and marketing studies for large companies, feasebility studies through outsourcing (cooperation with international hotel consultants) and development of operational concepts.

comprehensive work
she bases all her projects on comprehensive concepts. often she develops the complete usage concept beside the interior architecture which leads to a fluent transition from the idea to the execution of the project.

‘the restaurant should not only be the continuation of the lobby. it not just has to have its own concept but should also have its own style.’ it is also important, apart from the interior design, to fit an object into its surroundings. 15 people are working for the successful woman who does not care about standard solutions but creates her hotels. in the end she puts complete usage concepts on the table and faces the tightrope walk between economy and highly aesthetic demand.

‘i am not only interested to create something aesthetically beautiful and valuable but to develop reasonable design which improves and enhances the life of people and in this the psychological aspect plays an important role for me because i am always working for people. the influence of design on people is not only fascinating and surprising; by intentivly using interior architecture one can influence the life of people enormously and positively stimulate them. this starts when you enter a building.’, is the credo of yasmine mahmoudieh.