‘A legacy of bold and gracious living since 1472', chirps the marketing blurb for Abi Chelsea, the first project in the US by Lebanese practice Raëd Abillama Architects. Quoting some 300-years of heritage in excellence may sound incredulous, but for Raëd and his brother, the art collector Karim Abillama, their family’s 600-year legacy in shaping the cultural pulse of Lebanon and beyond is as alive today as ever.
The Abillamas emerged in the 15th century as emirs of Metn, owning vast swathes of land in the mountains between Beirut and Damascus. While fiercely proud of their Lebanese heritage, which serves as a particular source of inspiration for Raëd’s architectural aesthetic, the Abillamas’ contribution to art, architecture, and culture is an international and collaborative affair.
Raëd Abillama Architects’ Abi Chelsea will include a penthouse with a striking near-140 sq m terrace
Fixtures by British design studio Floss Creatives and iconic Danish modernist brand Vipp – as well as the local lighting design studio PSLab (perhaps best known for their long-term collaboration with Aesop) feature throughout Raëd’s built work, which includes residential, cultural, and commercial projects. ‘The quality of small brands sourced worldwide and the poetry of traditional Lebanese architectural motifs merge to create a home that is equally traditional and modern,’ he says of his architectural vision.
Raëd also custom-builds furniture for clients; influenced by his time as an undergraduate at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he studied under an IM Pei accolade, his creations exude a lucid and elegant modernist charm. Because of their geometric purity, he is particularly fond of stairs.
Meanwhile, Karim’s art collection – housed in an 18th-century villa meticulously renovated by his brother – boasts such modern and contemporary heavyweights as Andy Warhol, Richard Serra, Yayoi Kusama, and Elmgreen & Dragset. From Carsten Holler’s gigantic mushroom sculpture that pounces on visitors first entering the house, to Thomas Houseago’s poolside headless Giant – ‘I didn’t find him, he found me', grins Karim – and the furniture-climbing Meme men of Antony Gormley, there is a playful, thoughtful, and at times subversive means of presentation that pairs perfectly with the interiors selected or designed by Raëd himself.
With Abi Chelsea, RAA is bringing the Abillama touch to New York, balancing and indoor and outdoor living that celebrates the beauty and intimacy to be found in everyday life (the penthouse will be particularly zen, with a 139 sq m terrace – twice the size of the average NYC new-build apartment). By focusing as much on emotional affect as material purity, Raed’s treatment of architecture as a total work of art might just provide the oasis of calm that New York needs.
Abi Chelsea will consist of ten luxurious residences, once construction completes in 2019
Raëd's borther Karim is also part of Al Amir holdings, the developer behind Abi Chelsea; he is also a renowned art collector. His Beirut home, pictured here, was meticulously renovated by RAA.
The home, an 18th-century villa, contains Karim's extensive art collection
Further work by the architecture firm includes the Ixsir winery in North Lebanon
The project was designed in 2012 and merges old and new styles
INFORMATION
For more information visit the website of Raed Abillama Architects
-
Focal launches Diva Utopia, wireless speakers for aesthetically minded audiophilesFocal’s felt-clad Diva Utopia speakers bring high-fidelity wireless sound to a huge range of audio applications
-
Watch: Jamie Dornan takes a bath in Le Courbusier’s villa for Loewe PerfumesJamie Dornan stars alongside Sophie Wilde in the new Loewe Perfumes 2024 campaign, shot by David Sims in Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye
-
One to watch: Casey Zablocki’s Rocky Mountain surroundings feed into his vast sculptural workMontana-based artist Casey Zablocki uses one of America’s largest kilns to create monumental ceramic, functional sculptures
-
Jewel Box is a Californian project of small scale and big impactJewel Box by Red Dot Studio is the reimagining of a Californian 20th-century gem through a creative addition
-
Germane Barnes exhibition explores notions of classical architecture and identityGermane Barnes exhibition 'Columnar Disorder' opens at the Art Institute of Chicago
-
Omaha’s Joslyn Art Museum's newest addition effortlessly complements the institution’s existing complexThe third addition to Joslyn Art Museum is designed by Snøhetta, which opted for voluminous common spaces and illuminating atriums
-
Morning Dove in Twentynine Palms combines earth construction and otherworldly desert viewsMorning Dove by Homestead Modern in Twentynine Palms offers a striking landscape and rammed-earth construction for idyllic desert escapes
-
Larry Booth's 'House of Light' showcases an impeccable slice of postmodernist heritageA 1980s Larry Booth-designed Chicago townhouse on a narrow plot is a striking example of his author's work, set alongside the city’s postmodernist archive
-
In a hidden Beverly Hills garden courtyard, fashion, art and architecture meetJohnston Marklee transforms a Beverly Hills storefront into a shared space for the Michael Werner art gallery and fashion institution Mameg, connected through a leafy courtyard
-
Transamerica Pyramid: a San Francisco icon, remasteredThe Transamerica Pyramid, a landmark in the San Francisco cityscape, has been redesigned to 21st-century standards by Foster + Partners
-
Hill House Montecito is a flowing home 'for the twenty-first century'Hill House Montecito by Donaldson + Partners brings together a client's vision with architectural drama and a site-specific approach for a California family home
