Is there a particular trend driving your approach to design today?
Tristan Auer - The trend is towards no trend. Or if there is, you absolutely must have it. flee. That's how we end up with buildings and atmospheres that all look the same, whereas when we travel to Bangkok, à Milan or anywhere else, you don't want to go through the same thing. I don't know how to reproduce, even if it's tempting these days, with Instagram or Pinterest, to let yourself be influenced by an image you've liked. I don't read magazines, I don't watch TV programmes about decorating, I don't go online. I'm keeping my distance from everything that's just posturing and fake good ideas. All my projects are different because my clients are different; the brand, the time and the place are different. I try to have a very personal workand to do this I call on cabinet-makers or coppersmiths who have the intelligence of the hand who design bespoke furniture, who work to the highest noble materials that won't wear out, but rather develop a patina.
In your opinion, the move towards a less standardised hotel industry is a necessity.
Tristan Auer - A hotel destandardised yesbut depersonalised no. And that's the danger with brands that want to dealing with coolIt's not what people are looking for at home. You can't mix everything up. You don't just erase 30, 40 or 50 years of existence from your DNA and suddenly go for the first trend that comes along. There are places that need to be serious, and others that need to be more relaxed. everyone must keep to their own score.
I stay away from everything that's just posturing and fake good ideas. All my projects are different, because my customers are different.
What spirit do you want to instil in the brands you work for?
Tristan Auer - I'm trying toanchor their codes and deep DNA in the 21st centuryto refresh their vision by using interior design to suit our lives today. It's not just a story about style, it's about the way you "experience" a placeHow we live better with ourselves and with others. Decorating is pointless. Blue, red or green, we can debate that. But having a good time around a big table with friends, or in an alcove for more intimate encounters, that's interesting. Because it changes people's lives.
How does the everyday life of travellers influence hotel interior design?
Tristan Auer - We don't live the same way as we used to. We're constantly mixing our professional and private lives. A flat without an office seems unrealistic, and an office without a sofa to take a nap on also seems unrealistic. You need a real diversity. We need social moments and breaks, to be with ourselves and slow down the crazy pace we've created for ourselves. And that means flexibility in public spaces or spaces that follow on from each other, which we choose according to our moods. They change throughout the day and need to be responded to appropriately if we are to feel good in a particular place. A stressful moment, for example, and you need a little alcove where you can settle down, calm down and make the right phone calls. It's important to have a catalogue of different places in a hotel.
So it's all a question of experience?
Tristan Auer - It's an overused word, in the hotel industry and just about everywhere else, but it's an interesting one. What kind of generosity are we offering our customers? Today, people are less interested in luxury products than in luxury moments. What's the point of having five expensive watches? It's more important to spend three unique days with your family, your partner and your friends.
