“It’s so important to dream. And people always say, your life starts when your comfort level ends.” - Aerin Lauder

In this chapter of Assouline’s Culture Lounge, we’re learning about interior design with the founder and creative director of global luxury lifestyle brand AERIN, Aerin Lauder, and former Ralph Lauren designer and current founder and creative director behind his namesake studio, Alfredo Paredes. Aerin and Alfredo share what it was like to leave established companies to start their own brands, explain their design processes, and chronicle finding design inspiration in places from Mexico City to the desert.

1:56 - Childhood memories

2:52 - Taking a leap of faith 

6:06 - Falling in love with interior design

7:53 - Aerin’s design process 

9:55 - Alfredo’s design process 

11:02 - Design choices that didn’t work

12:15 - Teddy bears on mannequin heads

12:59 - Favorite rooms at home

14:10 - Finding inspiration in the desert and Mexico City

15:39 - Advice for the next generation of interior designers

16:34 - Memories of Estée Lauder as a grandmother and mentor

Stick around until the end for a fun bit of trivia about the design tricks practiced by ancient Romans.

This episode concludes our first season of Culture Lounge. Thanks to all of you listeners for joining us as we’ve explored different corners of creativity across art, fashion, travel, cuisine, and more.

Thank you as well to all of our guests who shared their time and expertise throughout the season.

We hope you found inspiration, passion, and hopefully knowledge of something new. 

For more inspiration and a video version of this chapter, head to Assouline.com, where culture meets luxury.

À la prochaine!

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