32 DIGS.NET
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12.8.2017
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R A F A E L D E C Á R D E N A S
"We favor the strategic over the thematic, the cosmopolitan over the pological, and
the atmospheric over the static. Ever-focused on the contemporary, we take diligent
note of the past while day-dreaming the future." is is how Rafael de Cárdenas,
founder of Architecture at Large, describes his work.
Before taking the plunge into architecture in 2006, de Cárdenas started his career as
a menswear designer at Calvin Klein, then became a creative director at the special
effects production house Imaginary Forces—two experiences that forged his aesthetic.
In his words, de Cárdenas is "interested in culture at large—fashion, cinema, music,
art—and how quickly those things change and evolve." He draws inspiration from
eclectic references to design conceptual, artful and sculptural spaces. His just-released
book, Rafael de Cárdenas/Architecture at Large: RDC/AAL (Rizzoli), features some of
his most iconic projects. With its mirror-lined walls and malachite trompe-l'oeil, the
Delfina Delettrez boutique in London is at once glamorous and intimate, elegant
and exuberant. e two-story fritted glass façade, patterned with triangular arrays
of Baccarat's flagship in New York Ci, catches the eyes of passersby, inviting them
to discover a space where black granite, crystal chandeliers, niches of white gold leaf
and diamond-motif details in the wood flooring evoke the preciousness of all items
on display. In Saint Petersburg, Russia, Au Pont Rouge department store is nestled in a
historic building while inside, a contemporary look and concept prevail.
For private projects, de Cárdenas starts his creative process by writing a fantasy script
where he imagines the client's ideal lifesle. "en as the project gets more real,
the fantasy aspect is embedded in the design's DNA," he says. An admirer of Dutch
contemporary architect Rem Koolhaas and Austrian modernist architect Adolf Loos,
de Cárdenas also sees travel and new experiences as ways to stay creative, explaining,
"You have to get out of your comfort zone."
Shaping
Atmospheres
New York-based designer and architect
Rafael de Cárdenas takes a multi-disciplinary approach
nurtured by culture and travel
WRITTEN BY KARINE MONIÉ
