Das Kundenmagazin der Andreas Messerli AG ... - Messerli3D

Foto: Nicole Bachmann
Gelungener euro-asiatischer Mix: das vor kurzem eröffnete Restaurant Noohn in Basel.
Foto: Isabel Truniger
English Summary
“You have to enjoy seeing things”
Interior designer Iria Degen is currently
designing hotels and restaurants
all over the world. Even
the conference room in her studio
reflects her creativity. It is teeming
with fabric and floor covering
samples, plaster casts of bamboo,
collector’s items and much more.
Her projects take shape in an area
of less than one square meter.
Iria Degen always starts by looking
at characteristic elements and
asks “what is special about this
place?”. It may be the location, the
geometric outline, or the stark
coolness of a glass surface. Her
goal is to contrast or enhance
existing features. For one of her
clients (Globus), she designed a
ceiling with 11,000 strings of glass
beads, which transform the mood
as the light changes. Once she has
defined an initial approach, she
very quickly adds other components
until all shapes, materials and
colors have been selected. Her
work does not follow a certain
style. She favors earth tones, natural
materials, timelessness and
serenity.
Iria Degen initially studied law and
then moved to Paris to find out
what she really wanted to do. She
spontaneously contacted French
designer Andrée Putman to ask for
advice. Instead, she was offered
a job in Putman’s studio and immediately
knew that she had found
her calling. After studying interior
design at Ecole Camondo, she
worked for Putman for four years.
During that time, she was involved
in prestigious projects, such as
the Karl Lagerfeld Gallery.
Ms. Degen now lives in Switzerland
and maintains offices in Zurich
and Paris. Recent projects include
a hotel in Cape Town and an office
building for Novartis in Basel.
Currently, she and her team of
seven are designing a new showroom
for a furniture manufacturer,
the reception area of a clinic,
and a new restaurant in Zurich.
Her dream is to design a small
intimate boutique hotel somewhere
in Europe.
Despite the hectic life she leads,
Iria Degen appears calm and collected.
She attributes this to her
Asian roots and sums herself up by
saying “I do what I think is right
and rely on my instincts. Obviously,
you can make mistakes this way,
but it’s better than treading
water.”
9..........