_The creative approach

‘I approach all my work with creativity,’ says Alexandra Champalimaud. ‘And the work I do is conditioned by where it is – it reacts to the people who are going to live there and use it, and to the place in which it exists.’

Her manner is both airy and grounded; she speaks of her craft with feeling, pausing to find the words to express her passion. ‘I have a lifetime of knowledge on how to make things successful and appealing, but there’s always a distinct personality.’

Of the projects she is currently working on, Raffles Hotel Singapore is the one that has set the most tongues wagging. ‘One has to bring it back to life again,’ she says. ‘When you do an investment of that size it has to have a long-term perspective.’ Does beauty play a big role in her designs?

‘Actually, “beautiful” is something I don’t do – I don’t do superficial beauty. The way I live, everything has to be inherently valuable, otherwise it doesn’t work.’ This singular vision is also influenced by travel, the designer having lived in Lisbon, London and, currently, New York.

Her homes range from a modern pied-à-terre in New York to an 18th-century landmark house in Connecticut and a mining cabin in the Rockies. Her advice to anyone thinking about the design of their own home is honest and unaffected: ‘Keep it simple and find things that make you happy. Don’t try to do something that someone else has done.’

Champalimaud Design takes on projects ranging from private homes to hotels and high-rise condominiums. Although she admits they each come with their own unique challenges, she feels that working on one influences the other – and that gives her a connected viewpoint on how people want to live.

In terms of the difficulties that arise in her work, she has a clear, philosophical point of view: ‘Life presents great challenges, and from those challenges comes unbelievable creativity.’