Today we’d like to introduce you to Mélanie Murata.
Based between Santa Monica and Florence, Mélanie Murata is an artist of collectible furniture and an architectural designer for luxury hospitality interiors around the world. Educated and trained in Milan and Florence, with Latin American roots, the designer coalesces diverse cultural influences in succinct concepts. From objects, to furniture to buildings, Murata draws inspiration from her interdisciplinary architectural background and weaves it together to achieve culturally relevant ideas with a unique design sensibility. Nomadic by nature, Murata is not tied to any specific social norm and feels the freedom to bring forth new ideas in order to create a new future. Her collectible furniture is represented by Galerie Philia, world renowned gallery based in Geneva, and is available to purchase on 1st dibs.
For Murata, luxury is being able to see how things are made. Sustainability is defined by the idea of buying well once, uncompromisingly crafted heirloom pieces that can be passed down from generation to generation. The Etérea Collection demonstrates her honed aesthetic and formal sensibilities. Karu produces pared-back yet deeply textured and warmly accented interiors for various hospitality, retail, and residential clients, throughout the globe. Her latest venture, The Etérea Collection, coalesces this dynamic approach. Aligned with current trends–monolithic forms, natural materials, and earth tones—the collection is also a celebration of multiculturalism, bespoke design, and the craft revival movement. These refined forms reflect a comprehensive vision, aesthetic, and philosophy that Murata has cultivated over the past decade.
Hi Mélanie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was a young girl growing up in a small town in the Andes, I have vivid memories of watching my great-grandmother sew in her atelier. The sound of the sewing machine, the stacks of colorful threads, her metal thimble patiently threading with a focus I had never seen before. My mother inherited this talent from my grandmother so I became immersed in this world of dressmaking, choosing color palettes, and experiencing first-hand the dedication and passion behind creating beautiful garments from an early age. As a child and young adult, I didn’t particularly love sewing and instead enjoyed calligraphy, spatial design, and art class came the most naturally to me.
At the age of six, my family moved to the United States and as a teen, I became interested in sustainable architectural design and wrote a thesis during my senior year as part of an advanced class for future leaders. During this time, I was also the captain of the varsity lacrosse team at my high school and really enjoyed the discipline, dedication, and teamwork required. Playing a high-intensity sport has translated into many aspects of my work today and is the reason I was able to get through 5 years of an interior architecture degree, including a Master’s. After graduation, During university, I had the opportunity to study Architecture in Florence for one semester and met my husband Leonardo.
I cut my teeth at the world-renowned architecture firm Gensler in Los Angeles and learned how to design large-scale hospitality and commercial buildings and interiors, working alongside some of the brightest minds. I drew construction documents following strict construction codes, modeled masses in 3D and in virtual reality, and presented to fortune 500 clients. By this time, Leonardo and I were raising two children so between a high-profile career and family, my life is and continues to be an imperfect balancing act. One Spring, we took a trip to Milan Design Week and decided it was time for a new chapter and we moved to Milan for a new adventure.
Italy taught me an even deeper layer of architectural rigour, focus, and the art of slowing down to achieve extraordinary results. After working for Piero Lissoni, I became inspired to scale down from architecture for a moment and pursue the art of collectible furniture design. During the pandemic, we retreated to the Tuscan countryside in a small villa with horses for some peace and quiet in a small town known for Alabaster. While the world was quiet, I became immersed in the world of old-world traditions working side-by-side with master artisans and from there, the first collection was born. Carving with emotion, contemplation, and techniques that have taken a lifetime to master.
Today, the Etérea collection is represented by Galerie Philia, a world-class gallery based in Geneva. I exhibited the collection for the first time in Lake Como this past Fall and the Etérea chair in Dubai in dialogue with The House of Lyria, a bespoke textile house based in Tuscany. We are back in Los Angeles with a revived transatlantic spirit and a slower way of life, one that is more intentional and considerate of the small moments that make up the fabric of our lives. Embracing the imperfections that make us human and exploring the intersection of craftsmanship and emotional connection. So far, the best part of the journey has been the company, laughter, and moments of creativity that happen when you have full trust in the universe.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This journey has taught me the importance of having full faith in yourself even when no one sees the vision. I remember waking up and driving through the hills of Tuscany on dark, rainy, and foggy afternoons during the winter to check on the progress of the pieces. Working through technical challenges that arise when working with natural materials such as Alabaster, Marble, and Limestone. As an independent artist, showing your work in public in an exhibition open to praise as well as critique is another layer I have had to adapt to. Traditionally, in architecture, you work on a team and produce professional renderings for the client and all to see before anything is built. Any journey worth having has its challenges. Embracing the unknown and being prepared for the remarkable has been the mindset that has helped me move through the harder aspects of venturing into collectible design while continuing to practice architecture.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an artist of collectible furniture and an architectural designer for luxury hospitality interiors around the world. Being Latin American and having lived and worked in Milan, Florence, Tokyo, and Los Angeles have given me a unique perspective that informs my design process on a large scale and micro-scale. From objects and furniture to buildings, I take inspiration from my interdisciplinary background and weave it together for ideas that will become culturally relevant and design sensible. Since I am nomadic by nature and communicate in different languages, I feel the freedom to bring forth new ideas in order to create a new future. Having an architectural background based on knowledge of academically correct scale and proportion and having studied under the best masters is the foundation in order to confidently experiment using innovative tools such as virtual reality, photorealistic renderings, and BIM. Complementing this technical nature of my work is my curiosity about how human emotion is translated into physical form. Thinking about how design can impact all of the five senses and leave a lasting memory.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is the quality of your interactions and the quality of the interactions of viewers with your work. It is being whole with the imperfect nature of humans and nature and seeing the beauty in the journey. I’m inspired by Stoicism as well as Buddhism, and the idea of the quality of being in the present moment informs the quality of your future. In order to create emotional work that resonates with the public, one must be in a state of deep presence. Success is showing up for yourself and others, doing the hard things one must do, loving the people around you understanding life is ephemeral and you only get this moment once. It is learning and doing the best you can each day because having the opportunity to pursue your own dreams is a gift.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.karu.design
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/karu.design
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniemurata/
Image Credits
Davide Casale, BOLDR Viz, Mélanie Murata, Alexandra Isabella Lopez.
