Not so long ago, Iranian designer Amir Mortazavi lived on the edge of the Pacific. He started out in real estate and property development with his father in early noughties San Francisco, and later opened a design gallery. During the pandemic, the siren call of an Atlantic coastal city 5,600 miles away grew stronger, and in August 2021 Mortazavi decided to temporarily relocate to Lisbon, safe in the knowledge that his ten-year-old child would be remote-schooled for at least the next year.
“After living in Lisbon for a few months, I realised that it checked all the boxes for the lifestyle I wanted to have, while still being able to work internationally,” explains Mortazavi, who decided to make the move permanent. Located in a leafy, cosmopolitan neighbourhood of the Portuguese capital, his 300-square-metre apartment has two wings. The south-facing side overlooks the Tagus River, the classical red roofs that characterise the Lisbon skyline and houses the living, dining and kitchen areas, while the north-facing side hosts three bedrooms and bathrooms.
When Mortazavi moved in, the interior was resolutely minimalist: all white walls and hard corners. “It was quite clinical in terms of its design, so inside, the objective was to add colour, texture and organic shapes,” says the Iranian designer. The living room’s custom wallpaper, a fantastical treescape by Swiss artist Nicolas Party, provided the starting point for the entire decorative scheme. “I've followed his work for a long time and decided to be bold,” says Mortazavi. “It’s truly a statement piece.”
The jewel tones in the wallpaper led the designer to reupholster his Ligne Roset Togo sofa in emerald velvet, and stain a coffee table of his own design an amber hue. Lighting choices – a vintage French rattan lamp and a crochet pendant featuring ceramic birds – and a ball-like blue rope chair by the English artist Tom Price allude to the natural world, while the origins of other pieces relate more specifically to life cycles.
“I constructed the birch chair from a fallen tree I came across 20 years ago during a Silicon Valley development project,” recalls Mortazavi, “and the shovels on the wall are an artwork by Pedro Reyes called Palas para Pistolas, which started out as Mexican guns that were melted down.” The shovels were then given to the guns' former owners to plant a variety of trees in a real-world botanical garden – echoed by Tom Price’s “psychedelic forest”.
In the dining area, vintage Alsatian seats double as Mortazavi's daytime office and nighttime dinner-party seating. The room is illuminated by primitive-looking ceramic sconces designed by Mortazavi, inspired by bunker archaeology and Communist-era architecture.
“I made a point of not having any furniture – either installed, designed or purchased – with a right angle,” he says. “Everything is curved. Many items are organic in shape and feel, so it brings the element of nature into this minimalist box.” Elsewhere, a DJ booth, music studio and library space indulges his cultural passions and showcases artworks by Iranian artist Toulu Hassani, plus a portrait of legendary DJ Ricardo Villalobos by Charles Hascoët.
Filled with trees, climbing plants and herbs for cocktails and cooking, the adjoining terrace offers views of the 25 de Abril Bridge. Reminiscent of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, it helps to connect the Iranian designer's past and present – and also provides a tranquil spot to contemplate the future. Now based between Lisbon, San Francisco and Paris, he has plans to expand his architectural design studio in the Middle East. “I am very inspired by the region and its willingness to implement innovative ideas. With so many incredible cultural projects and cities being built from scratch, the opportunities are limitless.” @studiomortazavi
