CreativeCollaboration

Michael Amini creates furniture that connects people with their culture and heritage. As successful as he is, he is also smart enough to know that there are times to bring in other creative sources. He recently did this by collaborating with actress Jane Seymour on multiple high fashion furniture collections.

Amini is CEO and head designer behind the Michael Amini brand. His Amini Innovation Corp. is based in Los Angeles, where he designs furniture inspired by his love of world travel, fashion and architecture. His furniture lines feature unique designs that are rich with hidden features (carved headboards, velvet-lined drawers, built-in jewelry boxes, hidden lighting fixtures) that cater to those who want to make a statement. Stylistically speaking, Amini is making homes more fashion-forward.

So why the collaboration with Jane Seymour?

“I’ve known Jane for a number of years and learned she wanted to use her extraordinary creative talents to design furniture,” said Amini. “Most of us are aware of Jane’s paintings and her creative jewelry, so her influence on the Amini name would only further benefit the brand. She is a breath of fresh air and further broadens our company’s female point of view.”

One of the first collaborations between the two was Hollywood Swank. It was on display during this summer’s Las Vegas Market, the most comprehensive furniture, home décor and gift market in the United States. The collection is made up of styles inspired by the Sunset Strip. Using design elements from the French Regency period, Hollywood Swank is interpreted in sensual colors and textures to live the dream of elegance from an era of grace and charm.

“Hollywood is my lifestyle, and I wanted to capture its romance,” Seymour said. “When you look at it, you experience the essence that is Hollywood, with its glitter, glitz and glamour of Oscar night. I know because that’s where I live. At the same time, I have spent quite a bit of time in Michael’s showrooms talking to customers and they tell me they want fantasy in the bedroom. They want Hollywood.”

Seymour knows Hollywood. She is a multiple Emmy and Golden Globe winner and has proven her talents in virtually all media: the Broadway stage, motion pictures, television and writing. Her love of art and color has led to success as a painter in watercolors and oils and as a designer.

“I design every day,” she said. “I work closely with Michael and have the freedom to give him my ideas and thoughts. He listens, takes it all in and comes back with drawings, fabrics and all those little hidden features like crystal nail heads.

“His furniture always has something extra. I think of it as inspiration and aspiration: living high, yet affordable. All of it is original and distinctive. Nothing is basic because Michael wants his furniture to be more than what it is.”

The two also collaborated on Platine de Royale, a collection characterized by glamour and a touch of sparkle long known by the Amini brand. It has Swarovski-crystal inlays on the bed; dressers and nightstand have marble tops; a secret drawer behind center doors of tall dresser includes a velvet-lined lift-out tray for jewelry; and the formal dining room suite complements the pieces’ platinum and champagne finishes.

Amini is cognizant of all lifestyles and one of his collections, Sky Tower, answers the need for a high-end, lacquer-finished group for smaller space living.

Mike Yarbrough, director of creative arts for the Michael Amini brand, said Sky Tower is designed for the urban and loft lifestyle, offering clean contemporary lines for the bedroom, dining room and living room. He described it as pieces that are “finished in contrasting gray and white polyurethane high gloss lacquer and accented with soft rounded design elements in the form of round feet, dining table legs and case fronts.”

The Sky Tower collection is part of an entirely new division called Studio by Michael Amini. The division came about because there is a demand for smaller space living within the urban lifestyle. It is targeted at the 18- to 35-year-old millennial and downsizing baby boomers who spend most of their time in the living room, where they entertain, work and eat.

“There are close to 80 million millennials (those born after 1980) and they are educated, diverse and have great buying power,” Amini said. “We’re finding these people around the world, and they’re moving into high-rises and absorbing the urban lifestyle. We’re not changing our direction but expanding to serve that customer. Therefore, we designed and developed this division to offer quality and luxury in smaller space living.”

New technologies have found their way into Amini’s furniture with elements such as USB ports and power sources. These features are incorporated into unique textures such as marble, metal, leather, glass and crystals that again reflect Amini’s love of travel, fine architecture and world culture. His product line can be found in 85 countries.

Anther product line introduced by Amini includes Trance, a European modern division with contemporary styling. Its dining and occasional products take on an abstract art form versus typical furniture style that uses a combination of mixed media.

Layla and Beverly sofa groups are more contemporary with clean lines and vibrant fabric stories. Sacramento incorporates interesting fabric application on a transitional frame, while Metros has a two-tone look in high quality upholstered case pieces accented with leather pulls.