Fun figures, curvy silhouettes, colors and patterns: when this comes together in a collection, we can almost be sure that the Spanish artist did it. Jaime Hayon is currently one of the most recognized designers in the world, who is just as good as an interior designer as he is a creator of objects. Perhaps his secret is that the strange humor of the products and interiors makes you want to be part of this world. He was born in Madrid in 1974, where he studied industrial design (and later in Paris). After graduating, he immediately joined Fabrica in Treviso, the communications think tank of the Benetton group. After a year, the company management appointed him head of the design department, in which he was in charge of everything that was not fashion design.
He was responsible for the interiors of the group's stores, exhibitions, images and even publications until 2003. In 2004, he left to pursue his own career and projects, whether it was toy or furniture design or interiors. He remained fundamentally a graphic artist, and his works and objects were exhibited at the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, the Design Museum in London or the Pompidou Centre in Paris, among others – in fact, these institutions already have works by him in their permanent collections.
The father of strange interiors
The spaces Hayon creates feel a little strange, perhaps because he always tries to surprise the visitor. In the lobby of the Barceló Torre de Madrid hotel, for example, a huge, striped bear statue raises its golden top hat to greet guests, almost enough to make the chain's new unit one of the most iconic places in the Spanish capital. Also located here, but in one of the buildings of the NH Collection chain, is the two-Michelin-starred Paco Roncero restaurant (formerly La Terraza Del Casino), the most unique-looking of the city's many restaurants.
You feel as if you have fallen into a fairy tale world while the fine dining dishes are served. Another interesting concept is the winter garden that he created in Namyangju, South Korea, on behalf of Hyundai. The Moka Garden looks as if you are entering a surreal, covered French garden. However, you don't have to travel that far, or stay in expensive hotels, to encounter the designer's imagination: the stands of the central market in Valencia are decorated with Hayon's graphics, but sometimes you can also stumble upon them in the form of public pop art.
He erected a gigantic chessboard in London's Trafalgar Square for London Design Week 2009, decorating the pieces with mosaics from Bisazza. He has also collaborated with Swarovski, presenting a reinterpreted carousel using 15 million crystals.
Jaime Hayon, who pours out funny objects
Brands also love him. He has worked with the Baccarat crystal manufactory several times, and has launched a watch and a smartphone. His prominent client is the furniture manufacturer Fritz Hansen, but he has also designed carpets for the Rug Company, porcelain objects for the Lladró, Vista Alegre and Bosa porcelain manufactories, a champagne bucket for Piper-Heidsieck, and has also worked with Cassina, Moooi and Ceccoti. He has also created shoes for Camper, and has even designed store interiors for them. He was also responsible for several store interiors for perhaps the most famous Indian jewelry brand ever, Nirav Modi, and the Fabergé salon in Geneva is also famous.
And what does all this mean, besides world fame and wealth? He has been awarded four times by ELLE Decoration, the Russian edition of Architectural Digest considered him the designer of the year in 2009, and the Parisian design fair Maison & Objet gave him the same title in 2010. According to Time magazine, Hayon, who already maintains offices in Italy and Japan, is among the 100 most important contemporary designers in the world. He probably won't stop there, we can't wait for his next big release!
