Ambra Medda
 | This article contains promotional content. (June 2018) |
Ambra Medda | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982 Rhodes, Greece |
| Nationality | British, Italian, Greek, Austrian |
| Occupation | Design consultant |
| Known for | Design Miami |
| Website | http://www.ambrameddaoffice.com |
Ambra Medda (born 1982)[1][2] is a London based design consultant who is the co-founder and director of Design Miami. She also co-founded the design website L’ArcoBaleno and headed a department at Christie's auction house.
Career
[edit]In 2005, Medda co-founded Design Miami with real estate developer Craig Robins and was the fair's director until 2010.[3][4] The annual event began as a salon for Italian design.[5] A sister show, Design Miami Basel, was launched in Switzerland.[3] As director, Medda created partnerships with notable galleries, collectors and companies. After stepping down, she continued to sit on committees as a creative consultant for the fair.[6]
In 2013, Medda co-founded an e-commerce design website named L’ArcoBaleno.[7][8] The site included collaborations with David Adjaye, Tom Dixon and Reed Krakoff.[5][9] In 2015, she became Global Creative Director of the "20/21 Design" department at Christie's.[7][8] Her department focused on auctioning design objects from the 20th and 21st century.[7][8] In 2016, she founded Ambra Medda Office (AMO), a design consultancy firm where she advises clients such as Airbnb and Louis Vuitton.[10][11] Medda is also involved with the Design Museum in London as a committee and trustee member.[10][12]
Medda's other projects include curating an exhibit for Madrid artist, José María Cano in 2004[13][14] and writing the book "Destination: Limited-Edition Design" in 2008.[15][16] She collaborated with Fendi in 2009 for the project Craft Punk[17] and helped design a collection of handbags for Roger Vivier in 2014.[18][19][20] In 2018, she organized visits to the Villa Borsani for the Milan Furniture Fair in Italy.[21][22]
Medda has been described as being an "icon of the style" by Madame Figaro.[23] Her design aesthetic has been interpreted by Alix Browne as "creating tension with unexpected combinations by mixing old and new".[17]
Background
[edit]Medda was born in Greece, to a Sardinian mother and Austrian father, and later lived in London and Milan.[5][17][24][23] Growing up, she attended auctions with her mother, who was a design dealer and co-founder of the Themes and Variations gallery in London.[25][26] She studied "Chinese Language and Culture" and "Asian Art" at London University,[27][26] and was previously married to American singer Damian Kulash.[28][29] She currently lives in London with Edward Barber and their two daughters.[24]
References
[edit]- ^ "Ambra Medda - Vogue.it".
- ^ "How the LES Inspires Ambra Medda".
- ^ a b "Artnet News: Ambra Medda leaves Design Miami, Banksy does band art, Charles Saatchi's "Newspeak" - artnet Magazine". www.artnet.com.
- ^ "Ambra Medda - Vogue.it".
- ^ a b c "The online design store you should already know about - Vogue Australia". www.vogue.com.au.
- ^ "Ambra Medda to leave Design Miami/ - Dezeen". 27 April 2010.
- ^ a b c "A Conversation with Design Insider Ambra Medda - Architectural Digest".
- ^ a b c "Ambra Medda joins Christie's design department". 8 January 2015.
- ^ Magazine, Wallpaper* (18 June 2013). "Ambra Medda launches online design shop L'ArcoBaleno".
- ^ a b "Ambra Medda - Judges - Dezeen Awards".
- ^ "AMBRA MEDDA OFFICE LIMITED - Overview (free company information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk.
- ^ "Trustees". Design Museum.
- ^ Contreras, María (4 November 2017). "La segunda vida de José María Cano" – via elpais.com.
- ^ "Artists". Kristy Stubbs Gallery.
- ^ "Ambra Medda: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com.
- ^ Medda, Ambra (16 June 2018). Destination: limited-edition design. 60 mete imperdibili. Mondadori Electa. ISBN 9788837060961 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c Browne, Alix. "Profile in Style Ambra Medda". The New York Times.
- ^ "collaborazioni: Ambra Medda designer per la Miss Viv di Roger Vivier".
- ^ Magazine, Wallpaper* (5 October 2014). "Frieze frame: Roger Vivier teams up with Ambra Medda on a limited-edition Miss Viv'".
- ^ "Roger Vivier Fetes Limited Edition Bag at Art Basel Miami". The New York Observer. 5 December 2014.
- ^ "Milan Design Week preview: 10 installations not to miss". 9 April 2018.
- ^ "In Milan the long awaited unveiling of villa Borsani". www.sothebys.com. 18 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Déco : les hot spots de la création new-yorkaise d'Ambra Medda".
- ^ a b S.r.l., Studiolabo. "Ambra Medda - Fuorisalone Magazine".
- ^ "Tom Dixon, Interviewed by Ambra Medda".
- ^ a b "The Future of Design". 1 July 2006.
- ^ "MEDIA ALERT: AMBRA MEDDA APPOINTED GLOBAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR FOR 20/21". www.christies.com.
- ^ "Designed to Last: Ambra Medda Launches L'ArcoBaleno".
- ^ "20 Odd Questions With Design Guru Ambra Medda". 28 June 2013 – via www.wsj.com.