Ruth Arad Design were the winners of the Hotel Under 200 Rooms – Global Award in The International Hotel and Property Awards 2021. Read more on the owner below:

Name: Ruth Arad
Company: Ruth Arad Design
Position within Company: Owner
Website: www.rutharad.com

Tell us a little about your background in design (education, experience, etc)
Based in Israel, I am an Interior Designer and Architect specializing in hotel design. My degree is in Architectural Design and Urbanism (B.A. with honours, 2002). After graduating, I worked for leading design firms in London and then in Israel, where I set up a hotel design department for at least one of them, and then went on to set up my own architecture and design studio – Ruth Arad Design – in 2012.
My design work can be seen in major cities throughout the world, including Casablanca, Istanbul, London, and Tel Aviv. I also love bringing unique designs to locations off the beaten track, not least the Israeli desert and Koh Samui Island in Thailand. This is perhaps a reflection of my childhood in the country as it was only in adulthood that I became a city dweller. And, having mentioned my childhood, I’d like to add that I was incredibly fortunate that my father chose to study architecture in my pre-teen years, and I spent many happy hours in his studio. Later on, when I wanted to go to Art College, my father pointed out that architecture was the mother of all art, and so I made what was clearly the right decision for me and studied Architectural Design.

How would you describe your personal interior design style?
Above all, I want to be a storyteller and to do this I must bring authenticity to my design concept and each design is therefore by its nature a “one off” and like no other. My main goal is to create a ‘guest experience’ and I follow this step by step – defining the process of moving through space, from outdoors to the lobby, reception desk, lounge, rooms etc., and I use my design tools to express this journey so that the guests feel they were thought of and are in a space that takes them on an emotional journey. Next, I focus on what I love – beauty, proportions, materials, setting – things that look and feel so good together that it’s almost as if they are in an embrace.
In short, every project has a new concept and its own individuality.
Also, having lived in different countries, and travelled extensively around the world, I have been exposed to many vastly different and often eclectic styles, all of which have left an imprint.

Where does your design inspiration come from?
My design inspiration mainly comes from interactions with people and being extremely sensitive to who they are and what they would like. I also take inspiration from nature as well as the location and surroundings in which the project will come to life. Or, in nutshell, the place inspires me – I always want to somehow bring the exterior into the interior, whether it is the sea, inland, or an urban setting.

In what direction do you feel that design is moving towards in a general sense?
I think that design is moving in a number of directions – on the one hand, it’s becoming far more personal and yet at another level there are many trends that are driven by technology. Buildings themselves are being expressed in new ways – when a 3D video of a building is sold as art, we need to sit up and take notice.
Design is not static – and certainly no two designs of mine have ever been alike. But none of them are about technology performance and all of them express something of their owners and their location.

Name five key themes to consider when approaching design in 2020 and beyond.
Regardless of the year, I always approach design through a connection to the elements – earth, water, wood, metal, fire – and they’re eternal.
I’m not a great believer in off-the-shelf themes and will always prefer a real connection. Obviously, in the case of Kedma Hotel, the connection is with the desert but, if I were to be commissioned to design another desert hotel, it would be a totally different concept and so would have a theme that is uniquely its own.

If you could offer one piece of advice when it comes to interior design schemes, what would it be?
I would say that one needs above all to love the story and to feel a connection with it.
An interior design scheme is a living, dynamic process yet one needs to remind myself to remain true to its essence and not be distracted. It’s important to keep coming back to the story and the concept so as not to lose or diffuse it. When thinking about hotel design, one must not confuse the guests ­­– keep the story consistent and coherent and don’t add anything that does not have reason to be there.

How important are The International Hotel & Property Awards as recognition of talent and achievement?
I believe these Awards are extremely important. I have long believed that hotel and hospitality design deserve a wider audience and in fact I wrote a series of blogs about my travels around the world in the wake of hotels that excel through unusual design, often in wonderful, faraway places. Among those blogs, was expression of my ‘love affair’ with hotels whose design really appealed to me, including a trio of London hotels; Hotel Borgo Egnazia in Puglia, Italy; Mandina Lodge in The Gambia; and Mama Shelter in Paris. These and many other hotels have been created by the most incredibly talented designers and yet few guests, if any, will ever know their names. I am convinced that recognition by IHP Awards has a major role to play in removing this anonymity.

What projects are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on various hotel projects for leading hotel groups in Israel. I also have several luxury holiday apartments and private residences in the pipeline. I’m also looking forward to rolling out the design for a new-build boutique residential apartment building in and up-and-coming inner-city area where space and lifestyle are of the essence.

What was your favourite project to work on and why?
KEDMA Hotel is undoubtedly my favourite project because I felt that I was able to take the story, which is so strongly linked to location, and turn it into a living environment where every detail, including the very smallest, is part of a homogenous whole that imparts to hotel guests the sense of being on an emotional journey. KEDMA is also incredibly important to me because of the impact that the desert environment had on me.

What was your most challenging project to work on and why?
Once again, KEDMA Hotel since this was a project on a huge scale, and I happened to be working on it in particularly challenging times – the outbreak of the Covid pandemic meant that global supply chains were not functioning, which made sourcing and buying more difficult and this, of course, had budget and schedule implications.

Which products/services could you not live without when designing?
Lighting design and therefore lighting designers are absolutely indispensable to me. It is they who understand my unusual ideas and keep up to date on all the latest technologies and products that are so essential to bringing my lighting designs to life.

Final thoughts; tell us a little more about yourself and your daily inspirations:
My darling daughter and son inspire me daily to be a better and ever more creative person. One of my biggest joys is to hear my bilingual children (Hebrew and English) as they navigate in and between languages and create new words whose innocence and innovativeness give me great pleasure.

Your most treasured possession? Well, not strictly speaking, ‘possessions’ – I have no possessions more treasured than my children.

Your favourite hotel, restaurant & bar? My favourite hotel is the Borgo Egnazia in Puglia, Italy. In many ways, outstanding hotels should be like a Michelin 3-Star restaurant  – there’s a certain ritual involved and a certain order. I don’t want to simply check-in and go straight to my room. Any of Alain Ducasse’s restaurants would work for me…

Your favourite food and drink? Asian food is absolutely my favourite – I love the mix of flavours. And orange juice made from fresh Jaffa oranges is my all-time favourite drink.

Your favourite way to spend an afternoon? More of a fantasy than reality nowadays with two young children, but I’d be lounging on a hammock outdoors with wonderful views over the sea or meadows.

If you weren’t a designer, what would you be? I’d probably be a multidisciplinary artist (the path I didn’t take when I followed in my father’s footsteps).

Anything else interesting? Well, I suppose that I ‘collect’ hotels in a way that people collect stamps or limited editions. I also practise yoga and am often told that I’m an excellent baker.

Ruth Arad Design

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