Hassen Balut on the cinematic influences behind his designs

When interior designer Hassen Balut was coming of age, his first love was film.

Born in La Plata, Argentina, Balut attended the Universidad de San Telmo in Buenos Aires, where he immersed himself in the works of the great filmmakers. He co-directed the documentary “Candombe,” released in 2001, which offered a searing examination of the history of slavery in Uruguay, before working on the 2006 feature, “Roots Time in Jamaica,” directed by his friend Silvestre Jacobi.

That commitment to telling stories never wavered but instead transfigured into new forms, when he was struck by the works of French architect and interior designer Christian Liaigre while on a trip to Milan. For Balut, 48, the “purity” of Liaigre’s work was an immediate inspiration, with spaces that he said possessed a “quiet strength” and were “minimal, but deeply emotional.”

Flash forward two decades, and Balut’s eponymous design studio has seen his work in the interiors and furniture of luxury residences, offices and high-end hotels. Balut's designs are typified by the cinematic eye of a slow camera pan across clean, atmospheric spaces.

He and I spoke about his current project -- designing the residential interiors of the Cipriani Punta del Este in Uruguay -- his influences, his definition of luxury and how he achieves harmony throughout his unique interiors.

"Today, I believe luxury is time. As simple as it may sound, time has become the most valuable thing we have. In that sense, our work as designers is about creating spaces that give value to that time," Balut said. "If a space can elevate the way time is experienced, turning it into something meaningful and intentional, then it is already achieving something very special. For me, true luxury lies in that ability to transform time into a moment of quality."

My story for Mansion Global, here.

Article published on Mansion Global.