Having received in 2011 the Honored Title of “Grau de Oficial da Ordem do Infante D. Henrique” by the Portuguese Government for her outstanding services rendered to Portugal and having been appointed as Cultural Ambassador by the Guimarães European Capital of Culture, interior designer Nini Andrade is also an international consultant for IADE-U: her interests span from design to art and painting, thus making her a wide-ranging professional, considered one of the most impressive designers in the world.
Vila Foz Hotel – Porto, Portugal
A native of Funchal (Madeira Island), Nini Andrade studied Design at the Institute of Visual Arts, Design and Marketing (IADE) in Lisbon and, later, she had further academic and professional experiences abroad, in New York, London, Paris, South Africa, and Denmark.
“My design is something born from the inside out, something that starts within the soul, runs through the paper and converges in the matter.”
Despite having worked in international projects alongside world-famous designers, her dream has always been establishing a design center in her native land: in 2015 she opened her center, housed in a historic fort at Funchal’s harbor, in Madeira. The Design Center Nini Andrade Silva is a “laboratory of ideas” with a multi-disciplinary concept at its base, offering several different services: by day it is an atelier and shop with embroidery, wicker, miniature ‘Cape Vapors’ and design pieces made by various designers; by night it transforms itself, thanks to the cafeteria and restaurant, headed by Michelin-starred chef Miguel Laffan and French pastry chef Damien Hirst. The center is deeply connected with the history of the island and its traditions: a recollection of “plunging” – young people who used to dive to recollect coins thrown into the water by tourist – linked to the designer’s use of “pebbles”, the beaches’ basalt stones that have become the designer’s trademark.
Nini Andrade Design Center – Madeira Island, Portugal
One of Nini Andrade’s last projects is the new five-star Savoy Palace, created in collaboration with RH+ Architects: a mixture of Belle Epoque charm with the traditional setting of the island that can be observed through the characteristic landscape, the traditional embroidery, the old levadas, and the Madeira wine. Art and culture translate themselves into refined and elegant interiors, in which nature-inspired decorative elements and Art Nouveau decorations concur to put emphasis on the visual rendition of the island’s characteristic features.
Azor Hotel – São Miguel, Azores Island
“I like subtle contrasts that emphasize the beauty of things!”
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