Ambra Medda

Ambra Medda
Born 1981
Nationality British, Italian, Greek, Austrian
Occupation Design consultant
Known for Design Miami
Website http://www.ambrameddaoffice.com

Ambra Medda (born 1981)[1][2] is a London based design consultant known for being a co-founder and director of Design Miami. She also co-founded the design website L’ArcoBaleno and headed a department at Christies auction house.

Career

In 2005, Medda co-founded Design Miami, along with real estate developer Craig Robins, and was also the fair’s director until 2010.[3][4][5][6][7] The annual event, which is considered to be "one of the most influential design fairs in the world",[8] first began as a salon for Italian design.[9] A sister show, called Design Miami Basel, was launched in Switzerland and is also held yearly.[3] As director, Medda created partnerships with notable galleries, collectors and companies, bringing together the international design community.[10][6] After stepping down, she continued to sit on committees and acted as a creative consultant for the fair.[10] About her contributions to Design Miami, Medda has stated, "I felt honoured, and I feel still honoured, that I can contribute to the cultural fabric of the world I live in".[11]

In 2013, Medda co-founded an e-commerce design website named L’ArcoBaleno, meaning "rainbow" in Italian.[12][4][9][7] The site, which sold collectible design from around the world, featured social media and video content, as well as collaborations with David Adjaye, Tom Dixon and Reed Krakoff.[9][13] In 2015, Medda became Global Creative Director of the "20/21 Design" department at Christies.[12][4] Her department focused on auctioning design objects, such as furniture and lighting, from the 20th and 21th century.[12][4] In 2016, she founded Ambra Medda Office (AMO), a design consultancy firm where she advises clients like Airbnb and Louis Vuitton.[14][15][16] Medda is also involved with the Design Museum in London as a trustee and committee member.[14][17]

Medda's other projects include curating an exhibit for Madrid artist José María Cano in 2004.[18][19] In 2008, she authored the book "Destination: Limited-Edition Design", which examined the top exhibition places in the world.[20][21] In 2009, she collaborated with Fendi, bringing together designers for the project Craft Punk.[22] She also helped design a 2014 collection of handbags for the Roger Vivier brand and was featured in its ad campaign.[23][24][25] In 2018, Medda organized visits to the Villa Borsani, designed by Osvaldo Borsani, for the Milan Furniture Fair in Italy.[26][27][28][29][26]

Medda has been described as being an "icon of the style" by the French magazine Madame Figaro.[7] She has stated that "putting the historic and the contemporary together brings out the best in both".[22] By mixing the old and new, her design aesthetic has been interpreted as creating tension with unexpected combinations.[22] Medda also came up with the phrase "designers are the new rock stars".[30][31]

Background

Medda was born in Greece, to a Sardinian mother and Austrian father, and later lived in London and Milan.[9][22][32][7] Growing up she attended auctions with her mother, who was a design dealer and co-founder of the Themes and Variations gallery in London.[33][31] She studied "Chinese Language and Culture", as well as "Asian Art", at London University[34][31] Medda was previously married to American singer Damian Kulash.[35][6] She currently lives in London with Edward Barber and they have two children.[32]

References

  1. ↑ "Ambra Medda - Vogue.it".
  2. ↑ "How the LES Inspires Ambra Medda".
  3. 1 2 "Artnet News: Ambra Medda leaves Design Miami, Banksy does band art, Charles Saatchi's "Newspeak" - artnet Magazine". www.artnet.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Ambra Medda joins Christie's design department". 8 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "Ambra Medda - Vogue.it".
  6. 1 2 3 "20 Odd Questions With Design Guru Ambra Medda". 28 June 2013 – via www.wsj.com.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Déco : les hot spots de la création new-yorkaise d'Ambra Medda".
  8. ↑ "Design Gatekeepers: Ambra Medda - Core77". Core77.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "The online design store you should already know about - Vogue Australia". www.vogue.com.au.
  10. 1 2 "Ambra Medda to leave Design Miami/ - Dezeen". 27 April 2010.
  11. ↑ "Ambra Medda". 16 April 2010.
  12. 1 2 3 "A Conversation with Design Insider Ambra Medda - Architectural Digest".
  13. ↑ Magazine, Wallpaper* (18 June 2013). "Ambra Medda launches online design shop L'ArcoBaleno".
  14. 1 2 "Ambra Medda - Judges - Dezeen Awards".
  15. ↑ "AMBRA MEDDA OFFICE LIMITED - Overview (free company information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk.
  16. ↑ "Ambra Medda - Crafts Council". www.craftscouncil.org.uk.
  17. ↑ "Trustees". Design Museum.
  18. ↑ Contreras, María (4 November 2017). "La segunda vida de José María Cano" – via elpais.com.
  19. ↑ "Artists". Kristy Stubbs Gallery.
  20. ↑ "Ambra Medda: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com.
  21. ↑ Medda, Ambra (16 June 2018). "Destination: limited-edition design. 60 mete imperdibili". Mondadori Electa – via Google Books.
  22. 1 2 3 4 Browne, Alix. "Profile in Style Ambra Medda".
  23. ↑ "collaborazioni: Ambra Medda designer per la Miss Viv di Roger Vivier".
  24. ↑ Magazine, Wallpaper* (5 October 2014). "Frieze frame: Roger Vivier teams up with Ambra Medda on a limited-edition Miss Viv'".
  25. ↑ "Roger Vivier Fetes Limited Edition Bag at Art Basel Miami". 5 December 2014.
  26. 1 2 "Milan Design Week preview: 10 installations not to miss". 9 April 2018.
  27. ↑ "10 great architectural moments of Milan Design Week - Archpaper.com". archpaper.com.
  28. ↑ Magazine, Wallpaper* (13 April 2018). "Italian modernist Osvaldo Borsani's innovative home opens up in Milan for Salone del Mobile".
  29. ↑ "In Milan the long awaited unveiling of villa Borsani". www.sothebys.com. 18 April 2018.
  30. ↑ "1000 Retail Graphics". Rockport publishers. 16 June 2018 – via Google Books.
  31. 1 2 3 "The Future of Design". 1 July 2006.
  32. 1 2 S.r.l., Studiolabo. "Ambra Medda - Fuorisalone Magazine".
  33. ↑ "Tom Dixon, Interviewed by Ambra Medda".
  34. ↑ "MEDIA ALERT: AMBRA MEDDA APPOINTED GLOBAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR FOR 20/21". www.christies.com.
  35. ↑ "Designed to Last: Ambra Medda Launches L'ArcoBaleno".
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