Explore the latest issue of GG magazine—a global guide dedicated to uplifting individuals and companies around the world.
This season’s issue of GG magazine is known as The Hope Issue—introducing us to inspiring individuals whose stories give cause for optimism.
In this issue, you’re introduced to Iranian-French architect and interior designer India Mahdavi, who speaks to the power of color in creating bright, cheerful spaces that spark hope. You’ll also hear from Diébédo Francis Kéré, the first African architect to receive the coveted Pritzker Prize. Finally, learn about the benefits of a mountain lifestyle and discover the newest interior design trend: extravagant floral art.
India Mahdavi’s Vibrant Vibe
If there’s one thing India Mahdavi is sure of, it’s that colors have the power to make us happier. And with her playful palette, the internationally renowned architect and designer is making the world a brighter place.
Her style contrasts the popular Bauhaus aesthetic, which was founded on the idea that less is more. For more than 20 years, India Mahdavi has been proving that more can also be more. Her work combines unusual color effects, a touch of humor, and a passion for ornamentation—transforming interiors into joyful, choreographed spaces.
“Colors give us energy and have a strong impact on our mood. I really believe that the environment we live in affects the way we feel in an important way.”
India Mahdavi
Mahdavi’s attraction to color has always been within her, originating from her childhood years in the United States where she first watched color television. Influenced by Walt Disney and Tex Avery’s cartoons, technicolor Hollywood movies, and the colorful mosque Esfahan, colors became the material through which she expresses emotion.
Read more about Mahdavi’s eclectic design style here.
The Mediator
For the first time in its 43-year history, the coveted Pritzker Prize—an annual honor given to architects whose works demonstrate talent, vision, and commitment—has been awarded to an architect from Africa. Diébédo Francis Kéré‘s passion for social architecture, sustainable buildings, and compound design derive from his birthplace Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries on the planet; he builds to create the sense of community that he was missing.
“Ultimately, I began studying architecture because I wanted to learn how to build.”
Diébédo Francis Kéré
After studying architecture internationally, Kéré returned to West Africa eager to give the tiny village in Burkina Faso what it so badly needed: its own school. Kéré had to leave his parents, siblings, and home at the young age of seven when his father sent him to stay with relatives and attend school in the city. Even then, the schoolhouse was close and stifling, like a furnace; Kéré knew he could make education more accessible and comfortable.
Read more about Diébédo Francis Kéré’s community-focused architecture here.
In Full Bloom
Flowers spread happiness and have an uplifting effect on anyone who receives them. No one knows this better than floral designer Lewis Miller. An expert at creating extravagant flower arrangements for celebrations and parties, Miller’s works grace galas before being relocated throughout New York City. Once the arrangements have been used for their intended purpose, Miller finds a new place to put them: a graffiti-covered house wall, a trash can, a construction-site fence, or the entrance to a subway.
“Flowers exist to be beautiful. Why do we suffocate this profound essence under the weight of other meaning?”
Lewis Miller
The floral invasions of public space, or chaotic “flower flashes” as Miller calls them, are not commissioned or created with a permit. But what kind of rules forbid you from sending jolts of joy through other people at the break of day?
These floral arrangements celebrate both sides of the baroque: the voluptuousness and the transience. Miller combines brilliant blue hydrangeas, brazenly pink carnations, lilies, gladiolas, roses, and delphiniums to create massive and brilliant bouquets, often too large to be held by hand.
To hear more from Lewis Miller and see more of his exquisite designs, click here.
Mountain Living
There’s no better place to relax than up in the mountains, where nature reigns and magnificent views deliver clarity. For years, the Alps were mainly regarded as a wintertime destination, but that perception has changed.
The Waldhaus luxury hotel in Sils Maria, Switzerland is a stronghold standing above two mountain lakes at almost 6,000 feet. The hotel features wide corridors, thick carpets, rocking chairs beside tall windows, books to win a bibliophile’s heart, and a 100-year-old Steinway grand.
Though located in the Alps, Urs Kienberger, who ran the hotel for many years and whose great-grandparents established it, says it was originally designed for summer.
“Summer has an extra dimension because of the colors, which are missing in the winter. The hotel really comes into its own in the summer.”
Urs KIienberger
For a long time, people seemed to have forgotten that the Alps in the summer were perhaps even more beautiful than in the winter. That began to change even before the pandemic started. Those who owned a chalet in the mountains traveled there during lockdown and ended up staying. Others realized, perhaps for the first time, how beautiful their own country was.
The mountains themselves are powerful. Their tranquility pervades us and makes us strong. Gazing at the majestic peaks, it’s easy to feel your day-to-day problems fall away, seeing the big picture helps to put things into perspective. Conquering the mountain is intoxicating, it makes every fiber of our being come alive.
Discover more about the Waldhouse luxury hotel’s summer offerings here.
_______________________
For all of these articles and more, you can view the full issue below or click here. Enjoy your read.
No Comments