Architecture
Architecture and interior architecture have their own section at HART. This page brings together the interior architects we follow, the masters who built as much as they furnished, the approaches that put people at the centre of the project, and the great movements that redrew the spaces we live in.
Interior architects today
An interior architect designs the space before decorating it: plan, volumes, circulation, light and materials are conceived together, often down to bespoke furniture. Two projects show the range of the profession. In Quebec, Audrée Kemp Bélanger, a landscape architect by training, founded AKB Design in 2010 to bring landscape and interior together in a single project. And for the Orient Express 2027, Maxime d’Angeac is the artistic director of seventeen restored carriages, where René Lalique panels meet contemporary design.
The architects who also furnished the 20th century
Many design icons were born on an architect’s drawing board. Le Corbusier designed the Villa Savoye and the Unité d’Habitation in Marseille, and co-signed the LC4 chaise longue with Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret. Alvar Aalto reconciled functionalism with organic forms, from the Paimio Sanatorium to the Villa Mairea. Eero Saarinen designed the TWA Flight Center in New York and the Tulip Chair. For them, furniture was an extension of the building.
Architecture and wellbeing
Part of contemporary architecture starts from a simple question: how does a place act on the people who live in it? Biophilic architecture brings nature into the living space, building on the biophilia theory formulated by biologist Edward O. Wilson in the 1980s. Neuro-architecture studies how light, volumes and materials shape our emotions.
The movements that redrew space
The Bauhaus made architecture the meeting point of all the arts. Russian constructivism put form at the service of a social project. Cranbrook Academy served as the laboratory of American modern design. For other movements, see our Heritage section.
Exceptional places
Our selection of exceptional places presents spaces where architecture and interior design reach their highest level.
Frequently asked questions
Which architects also designed furniture?
The most famous are Le Corbusier (LC4 chaise longue, with Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret), Alvar Aalto (Paimio armchair) and Eero Saarinen (Tulip and Womb chairs). For them, furniture was part of the architectural project.
What is biophilic architecture?
It is an approach that brings nature into the living space, well beyond a view of a garden: daylight, plants, raw materials, water. It draws on Edward O. Wilson’s biophilia theory. Our article on high-end biophilic architecture sets out its principles and its projects.
Latest architecture articles
All our articles on architects and interior architects are gathered in the architects and interior designers section.
Resources
Five ways into the world of HART
- 01 Spaces Spaces & materials Interiors, atmospheres and materials that give a place its identity.
- 02 Creators Designers & creators Architects, designers and artists whose vision changed the way we live.
- 03 Craftsmanship Artisans & fine crafts Upholsterers, cabinetmakers, metalworkers, ceramicists: the workshops and the hands behind true excellence.
- 04 Furniture Furniture & interiors Iconic sofas, seating and lighting, read through form, use and comfort.
- 05 Heritage Design history From Gothic to global design, the styles that shaped the art of living.