June is molten month at Michael Aram worldwide. A few days ago, I caught up with the designer and we talked about his unique designs for the latest Molten Collection, how he continuously introduces a real sense of whimsicality in all of his pieces, his fondness for India, and more.
High End Weekly™: A lot of the pieces from the Molten Collection have a story behind them…
Michael Aram: The story behind the entire Molten Collection is one of craftsmanship. It’s a story I’ve been celebrating in my work for over 23 years now. The Molten collection was first introduced in 2001. We’ve just updated it and added fresh functionalities. Even though the result feels like an absolutely new and surprising collection to people, we still use the same exact technique in making it.
Michael Aram. Photo credit: Janette Pellegrini/Getty Images North America
To achieve the beaded edges, our master craftsmen melt a long rod of stainless steel with an argon welder to create individual welds which are placed around the rim, one by one, drop by drop. The result is that no two pieces are ever exactly alike. If you look closely from one object to the next, you can see the slightly unique style that each welder has. They have what I like to call the “maker’s mark”, where each piece reflects the art of the craftsman that created it.
HEW: A few years back, I remembered reading somewhere that you spend most of your time in India. Is that still the case today?
MA: I spend a great amount of my time in India. I consider India as much my home as I do New York. I still divide my time between the two homes. I’m there about 4 to 6 times a year, though the trips are a little shorter these days thanks to my baby twins that aren’t ready for a 16 hour flight just yet! No matter where I am in the world, India is a daily and inherent part of my life. It influences everything I do. It’s not just where I work or manufacture. It’s a culture that has been infused into how I look at the world. I have friends and a full life over there. I’ve even learned to speak Hindi…spotty and improper maybe, but I do it.
HEW: Tell me about who or what inspires you the most when it comes to your latest collection?
MA: In New Molten, it is definitely the craft that drives my passion for the design. I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of transforming the “industrial” into something beautiful. New Molten is exactly that. These body shapes are simple and clean, timeless yet ancient. The thing is, they’re made by classic hand forging…metal shears, hammer, anvil. The beads along the edge are just simple welds. The difference is that they aren’t being placed there to fuse two pieces of metal together for some functional reason…they’re being placed there as a celebration of the weld itself, the idea that one of the hardest metals in the world can be coaxed into a fluid form and turned into a delicate and beautiful detail. That process is magical to me and inspires everything we do. It’s not expressed anywhere as purely as it is in the Molten Collection.
HEW: What is your personal taste in design, and how does it influence your own work?
MA: I like to collect objects from all over the world, especially objects that really mean something to me. To me, that object, whether it’s an antique clock, or a tribal sculpture, becomes my world. When I bring these pieces into my home, it’s important to me that they have their own space that’s clean and minimal so it can be appreciated and celebrated. When I’m designing my pieces, I follow that same practice. Even though the motifs are expressed as collections, I design the pieces one at a time, where the object becomes my sole focus and for that moment, nothing else exists outside of it.
HEW: What has been one of the most memorable experiences of your career?
MA: I would say travelling to India in 1989 and really discovering what would become my calling. Additionally, my Personal Appearances are always memorable to me, each for a different reason. I really enjoy sitting down and meeting with the people who collect my work. There’s something so joyful about having that one on one and learning of their lives, stories, and special occasions.
HEW: Your flagship store in the Chelsea is so beautiful, and I love shopping there. What was the concept behind the design? (The store location is considered Chelsea.)
MA: Since it’s a 19th century carriage house, the building already had so much character to it. We worked with architect, James Harb, to honor that history and original design while trying to capture some of the spirit behind my style and inspiration. Many of the elements you see are original…the rafters, the loading stage, the floor planks. On top of that we infused a scheme that had the slightly dark and brooding undercurrent in a lot of my work…slightly gothic, in a childlike way. That space actually gave rise to our entire brand image.
HEW: My husband and I received your cat and mouse serving bowl from a friend, when we were getting married a few years ago. We both loved the whimsical and humorous side of the object. Do you believe that most of your work reflects the whimsical side of things?
MA: What a blast from the past! I purposely designed the bowl so that the cat was perched on the top, while the mice sneakily hid underneath so that the cat wouldn’t find them. I do try to use whimsicality in all of my pieces. In some collections, it is a little more apparent than others, but even in my ‘organic’ collections, I try to highlight the unexpected and often overlooked details.
HEW: What is trendy in tableware and metal objects right now?
MA: Entertaining has become a space for self expression. People aren’t really willing to be told what is formal and what is casual. Tableware is more freeform than ever before. It’s become about the formalization of casual and the casualization of formal. It’s a mix of materials, mix of styles, mix of activities, mix of environments. Whether it’s indoors or out, people want it to be fiercely stylish and show a sense of individuality. Whether it’s metal, porcelain, crystal, wood or even paper, the objects need to make a statement.
OF NOTE:
Michael Aram is running a promotion for the entire month of June. During Molten Month, all Michael Aram purchases of $150 or more in the month of June will receive a free gift with purchase: the New Molten Mini Frame. The gift with purchase promotion is available online at
michaelaram.com, as well as in-store, (participating stores will be listed on his website). To further celebrate the New Molten collection they are launching a “My Perfect Dinner Party’ contest on the newly activated Michael Aram Pinterest channel, beginning today, June 4th.
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