GUIDES · 17/06/2024

Creating cinematic interiors for Aliée

Dayna Lee and Ted Berner, the cofounders of the Los Angeles-based Powerstrip Studio, have a design attitude shaped by years of working in the Motion Picture Industry as art directors, set decorators and production designers. Their artistically inspired vision is about to animate interiors of Aliée that will embrace you with precious moments of excitement, history, art and luxurious details.
You have an artistically inspired design attitude at Powerstrip Studio. What have been some of the sparkling moments of your journey as a creative duo?

Dayna: Small moments and epic adventures, slow speed, high speed, quiet to loud, Ted and I find ourselves living many lifetimes in a year. Driven by good humor, love of culture and hard work together. There are always a few narratives simmering within us. Our experiences compel us to lift the story in hand to levels or directions we do not expect. The subtle composition of art, design, color, food, scent, landscape, sound and history create unique personal emotions for people and animals alike. As quoted by Christian Dior, “A country, a style or an epoch are interesting only for the idea behind them.” Both Ted and I are motion picture and fashion industry alumni who traveled extensively during our childhoods. We love the moments when people step into a meaningful place, stop and lose themselves for a few beats.

Ted: Well, every project has been fantastic really. Dayna and I do enjoy the mix and collaboration of other creatives who push for something new. Something unexpected. And that means lighting designers, landscape designers, architects, textile artists, painters, and ceramists. I started professionally as a fine artist, so I gravitate to people who put a lot of themselves in their work and have the drive to add to the human conversation. Art and design are never really about what is current. It is about what we are creating next and what we want to leave behind.

You have an astonishing pedigree as hotel, restaurant and spa designers... How do you create an immersive experience for guests, and that element of new luxury in all those spaces?

Ted: I believe it’s always best to take an honest look at the space from the guest’s perspective. And you do that by observing how you interact within it. What makes things a bit unexpected, inviting you to stay longer? And, as the space begins to reveal itself, will it keep your interest, so that your mood and conversation flow a bit more? It’s always a mistake to create a space without conceptually understanding its story or reason for being. It’s the thread that binds it all together. A space without this is called a “furniture store” and it doesn’t reflect a history or an owner. And there are a lot of very high-end furniture stores out there. It is always better to design with this in mind; it completes the space so much better.

As a child, I lived and traveled in many countries growing up. Our family home could trace those travels through art, furniture, music, books, and even jewelry. There was always a story behind everything, something to make you smile and keep your interest. You also mentioned “luxury” which is a tricky word. It’s not always the brightest or the biggest that I’m drawn to. It’s the care and thought put into things that make them shine. That draws your attention. That makes you want to stay.

Dayna: I find that an immersive experience comes slowly and lasts longer by designing with generosity beyond the first impression. Guests discover more surprises as they wander and live through the property. In my mind, I have a storyboard with a cinematic flow. We learned this by working with director Ridley Scott. To have your guests live in your design is immersive; it is not enough for our spaces only to be looked at without tasting. Please stay. Each visit will reveal previously undiscovered moments of calm or excitement, history, art and luxurious details.

Ted and I understand that luxury is defined by care, thought and rare materials in great lighting and most of all thoughtful kind service. I often watch our animals to educate myself on luxury. Unaware of retail, they seek the most comfortable, always choosing first the silk chair under the sun, cashmere throw, cedar scent and paté; they identify honest luxury and yes, we do give them good service. We also love collaborations with small-batch luxury purveyors of scents, robes, wellness and edible amenities. Unique moments are important to our designed spaces… subtle and selective. In the end, ideas are only ideas until the owner shares your vision and our talented teams make the ideas manifest. The design, architecture, project management, operations and construction teams that make it happen are the rock stars.

You have designed in several global destinations before, from London and Berlin to Los Angeles and Miami. Where do you put Istanbul on that spectrum?

Ted: My favorite, I’m simply intrigued by everything.

Dayna: The Golden Horn position of our project in Istanbul has the best view in the world, so we are beyond honored to be here designing this special place called Aliée. Beyond the changing light, the magical hills with minarets, and the vibrant sea, this is a place steeped with events changing the course of history and creating the modern world as we know it now. Our design concept of modern history blends the chic modern lifestyle of Istanbul with the rare old shells of historical architecture. Archaeological findings date back to the 7th century BC. Of all our cities on different continents, I would describe Istanbul as deep, layered, passionate with intense colors and a sophisticated food culture. Our teams in Istanbul are kind, talented and strive for the best.

What elements of surprise await us at Aliée?

Ted: We can’t say, but we will say she’s quite stunning.

Dayna: They would no longer be surprising if we told them.

Has the concept of the hotel evolved around an imaginary woman called Aliée? What’s she like? What does her story tell us from the moment we step in?

Dayna & Ted: Aliée really is a classic beauty. A beautiful mix of the past with a dash of today. Energetic, with a sense of mystery. We like to say, you may see her as she turns the corner. Follow her and you will find things you had not known were there.

Which one is your favorite artwork lately, or for all times? And why?

Ted: There is some very good modern art now, but it is such a hard question. A favorite? Impossible. There are too many. I do love the Dutch Masters, from Vermeer to Van Gogh. More modern painters like Franz Kline, Francis Bacon, and Cy Twombly. The Hudson River School of Painters: Cole, Bierstadt, Church. And early American Painters like Hopper, or Benton. I suppose the closest choice I could make, to answer your question, would be Winslow Homer’s “On Lee Shore”. I’ve always loved the story. A small ship caught in a storm, off in the distance.

Dayna: The American Painter Ted Berner with landscape, portraiture and still life work influenced by Dutch Masters and with a texture inspired by Thomas Hart Benton. Bulgarian and Moroccan duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude (wife) are monumental sculptors, who wrapped Le Pont Neuf in 1985. I am enjoying the introduction to Turkish artists and gallerists as well. The energy and questions they pursue are very relevant. The work is beautiful. You will see our selections.

What was the most enthralling thing you have seen lately?

Ted: Kids dancing and fighting alone wearing VR goggles. As another group cheered them on.
Dayna: I am enthralled with the work of our American and Turkish design, architecture and construction teams –here and there– collectively. I marvel at how we speak the same language of design without speaking the same languages. Drawings, collections and a little performance art can achieve Olympic scale work. It is so creative when everyone is jibing.

What’s the next thing that will be on your agenda when you travel to Istanbul again?

Ted: We will begin our first installations of the spaces. This will allow us to see how the design works at different times of day. And it’s always a fun time to discuss things, walking the space for the first time with design elements that build body to the spaces.

Dayna: Details. Our team is looking forward to doing deeper historical research and collecting art, artifacts and building custom elements of craft and luxury in Turkey, preferably hopping on boat taxis departing directly from Tersane İstanbul to stroll around the city by using the main waterways of the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus.