Creative Mind: India Mahdavi
The Iranian-French architect and designer is reimagining Villa Medici and will soon complete a hospitality venture with Luma Foundation president Maja Hoffmann in Arles
Since launching her Paris studio in 2000, India Mahdavi has drawn an enthusiastic audience who flocks to the creative spaces she designs to be immersed in their bewitching blend of palette and panache. Each is a careful meditation on a theme, from the fizzy jubilance of the iconic Sketch restaurant in London to the monastic dynamism of the recent Le Cloître hotel in Arles, France. Another recent triumph comes in the form of the PoMo museum in Trondheim, Norway, set apart by its hot-pink doors to the former post office.
But her ingenuity is hardly limited to architecture and interiors—the Iranian French architect and designer also oversees a robust collection of furniture and objects, and orchestrates intoxicating scenography around the globe. “I’ve always been attached to blurring boundaries,” she says. “My creative freedom lies in a multidisciplinary vision of my profession. I never approach a project through one lens; I blend style, cultures, and colors to imagine new stories.”
Origin story: “For each project, I start by defining a precise question that I would like to answer. Defining the question is often the hardest part, but it really guides me all the way through the creative process and helps to write the story I want to tell.”
Up next: Alongside residences in New York and Europe, Mahdavi plans to continue her work reimagining the Villa Medici, home to the French Academy in Rome, and will complete a hospitality venture with Luma Foundation president Maja Hoffmann in Arles. Additionally, she will serve as the president of the jury for Design Doha, taking place April 12 to June 30.
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2026 Spring Issue in the section “Creative Minds.” Subscribe to the magazine.