From the other side of the screen, the architect joined his friend and collaborator Win Collier to share with us his love of his profession, fashion and travel, freedom and extravagance. They did this without holding back or hesitating, in an empathetic approach that preserves the patina of time and a sensitivity that is difficult to emulate.

Inês Graça: You strive to “design and create, rather than buy or hire”. Almost 20 years after founding the practice, how do you counteract routine? Smith Hanes: Something we actively do is create a background story for each of our projects. We’ve tried to work more like designers of settings, of environments, rather than simply imposing our design language. We rarely say “remember that thing we created and how it worked out? Let’s do it on this project.” We have become a studio that is constantly reinventing itself. Of course, this has a lot to do with our relationships with our client. For example, the client of the Atrium project started by telling us about having been to the Beverly Hills Hotel several times and being inspired by fabulous wallpaper, and then asked us to create a space where people felt the same thing. So of course, the freedom that clients grant us is crucial.

It might not be wallpaper, but what makes Atrium such a special project? SH: It features beautiful colour and lighting, it’s bold too. During the design process, I remember talking to Janine, the project manager, wondering if we had taken things too far. Would it be over the top? Appropriate? The reality is that people feel comfortable in all the spaces, the rooms are practically all green or pink. On a totally pink surface, everything becomes neutral, almost as if we were in a white room. That enthuses people. I remember once I saw a woman in a pink tutu, dressed like a ballerina. You often see people dressed in pink and green according to the space and taking photos of themselves. By creating such an expressive space, you are also offering people the freedom to express themselves.

How do you strike a balance between comfort and the inherent needs of a public space? Win Collier: By trying to capture a kind of reality and an age-old savoir-faire, through processes stemming from the past. We work very manually so that the soul of the spaces and objects are never lost. We use a lot of wood, steel, primary materials, and we shy away from new materials like vinyl composition tile (VCT) or porcelain tiles that look like wooden floors. Of course, this can be challenging, you have to consider functionality and the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) issues, but we still need to make sure the design remains beautiful while meeting all of these requirements. With practice, you begin to master ergonomic issues. Making several mistakes helps you work out the best approach.
SH: I’d like to reiterate something Win said: we want to work with patina and age, we love unfinished brass. Spaces have to be functional, but feelings, sound, smells and soul matter so much, that’s what we focus on above all else.