MEETING…ALEXANDRA CHAMPALIMAUD
down. She, her husband and baby were forced to drop everything and leave Portugal overnight because her husband’s family – prominent bankers – were in danger. “My husband’s family really were affected,” she recalls. “Having an English passport was a great plus – it protected the whole family when we left the country.” Alexandra eventually settled in Montreal, Canada where she set up her first interior design business, quickly establishing an impressive reputation with award-winning renovations of the iconic Château Frontenac in Québec City, and Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth and InterContinental Hotels. In 1994, she relocated her head office from Montreal to New York, where she continued building the business, garnering an impressive array of awards along the way – including three Gold Keys (Grand Prize, Best Hotel Lobby and Interior Design Merit Award) in 2008 for her work on the The Liberty Hotel in Boston and the Designer of the Year Gold Key Award in 2009. The hotel was formerly a 19th century
prison and Champalimaud’s scheme included humorous references to this previous incarnation. “The owners kept saying to me, ‘We don’t want too much jailness.’ But I said, ‘You know, it sounds like a great opportunity to me.’ Of course that scared the living daylights out of them. But that’s the thing. Often you find an opportunity where you don’t think there is one. It was a great project. I won all sorts of awards for it, mainly because it was a case of transforming something of a beast into a really liveable space. It must have worked, because the place is packed all the time.”
So now that she’s been in New York for 19
years, has this nomadic citizen of the world finally found her home? She thinks for a moment. “I’m very reluctant to call places home until I’m absolutely sure. One thing I’ve learned in life is that you never know where you’re going to end up. Then again, I met my husband in New York [her husband Bruce Schnitzer works in private equity and is also a board member of Champalimaud], I’ve worked on some amazing projects. I do adore the city but my real home is actually in the country outside New York City – I have a house in Lichfield
Bruno Viterbo, Managing Director of Champalimaud, will be sharing his experiences of the hotel sector in a panel discussion chaired by Sleeper Assistant Editor, Catherine Martin at Focus/11 at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, on Monday 26 September (11.30am – 12.30pm). Other panellists on the session entitled ‘Hospitality Interiors – The Future’ include James Dilley of Jestico & Whiles, and Conrad Smith of Reardon Smith. Tickets are £10 for Sleeper readers (usually £15). Please quote ‘Sleeper’ when booking. To book tickets call +44 (0)20 7352 1900 or visit
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Connecticut with an incredibly beautiful garden. I’m at my happiest when I’m in my garden.”
Lichfield is also home to Charem, the yoga
retreat and spa which she built in the grounds of her house. It started out as “an experiment” but has been extremely well-received. While expansion has been delayed due to the economic climate, she eventually hopes to roll out the concept. Other side-projects include two new designs for The Rug Company, coming out in October, and a new line of outdoor fabrics with Holland & Sherry. So what does she think the future holds for hotel design? “I think English are going to become more English, and the Americans more American. I think that’s what people want when they travel. Travel has become too boring and homogeneous. We need to re- establish our individual identities.” And what about on a personal level
– what does the future hold for Alexandra Champalimaud? “I hope I have grandchildren one day and I hope my dog lives to a ripe old age,” she says simply. “Other than that, I just want to carry on doing work that is memorable, but maybe have a little bit more time to myself. My work-life balance isn’t great. It’s my wedding anniversary tomorrow and I really must get home. There are times when I wish I could spend my life in my garden with my dog and my beautiful family. But at the end of the day this isn’t just a job to me. I really love what I do.” And finally, is she at all nervous about the prospect of tackling a venerable institution like the Waldorf-Astoria. “Not really,” she shrugs. “I’ve been through a lot in my life. I don’t scare easily.”
BELOW: A bathroom in one of the loft suites at the Bel-Air BOTTOM: A relaxation room at the Bel-Air spa
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