The Designer’s Operatic Interiors Gives Rise to the Maximization of Self

  You wake up in Milan, or Miami, or the jungle of Jakarta. you turn and feel the sunlight flood in. Giant floral wall prints, intricate tiled mosaics, minimalist white globule tunnels open you to a maze of make-believe. Dutch industrial designer Marcel Wanders wants you to daydream, to challenge yourself and ask who you could be. “It’s beautiful to see that what you are today is a choice, and you could choose to [step outside of yourself] and do something really different,” he says. A little pomp and a lot of consideration makes Wanders a wonderful architect of surprise.
    His interiors, from the Mondrian Miami South Beach Hotel (in tribute to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle) to his hometown masterpiece Villa Amsterdam, transform normalcy to theatrics. Wanders’ recent book, Interiors (Rizzoli), compiles the textures, colors, and poetry of Wanders’ daydreaming into a retrospect of hotels and houses turned stages and symphonies. “I love that idea that you can take opera and bring it to the real world,” explains the 47-year-old designer. “They don’t have to pay an entrance fee; you can do that here, now.” Indeed, stepping inside one of Wanders’ interiors, the possibilities seduce you—your heart flutters.
    Renowned first for his product designs and later for his interior work, Wanders is a figure of rebellion, a spokesperson for wild ambitions, bucking all that is rigid in thought. “I think the world of design has more to offer than what we offer today,” he says. And stomping out new ideas because they’re different “is just wrong.” Wanders has always constructed his environs unabashed, from his cloud-shaped apartment building in Guadalajara to the yellow, well-endowed Mandarina Duck mannequins. “I think design is able to unite the world,” Wanders waxes. “It’s able to show love and respect to people.”
    And though nothing in Wanders’ timeless modernity seems common, he prefers—another surprise—a populist approach to the luxury interiors he architects. “I think it’s important that we create alternative spaces that have interesting things to say to as many people as possible,” he explains. “I don’t want to exclude anyone.” Considering his playful and passionate love of opera, from Puccini to Wagner, Wanders is comparable to the composer who satisfies both king and royal subjects. “Music is, from the ears to the heart, very short,” he proffers. Wanders daydreams about creating a mosque that would evoke this same bond. A mosque, he says, is important to people, and that is the type of space he hopes to create next.
    In addition to Interiors, Wanders has written a book on the history of creativity in Amsterdam, runs his business and staff, consults for the city of Amsterdam, and jetsets the world for his projects and speaking arrangements. This spring he set up in New York to promote a new product line, giving away tattoos of his creations to fans and supporters. And, perhaps surprisingly, perhaps predictably, quite a few New Yorkers now walk around with Wanders ink. Still, the man has to sleep. So what does dreamer Marcel Wanders do when he wakes up? “I look to the light,” he says. “And then I look to see if someone is next to me. You never know.”