Can Sarita Posada Recreate Aimé Leon Dore’s Nolita Magic in London?
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Sarita Posada’s newest interior project—the London flagship for the hip menswear label Aimé Leon Dore—is a multisensory experience. Upon entering the recently opened boutique, visitors take in wafts of fresh pastries, burned incense, and reverberating beats, finding themselves entranced by the moody yet warm energy of the space.
Coming from a background in hospitality, Posada is an expert at crafting this type of fantasy. “Most of my background has been in hospitality, and so much of [Aimé Leon Dore’s] brand is about being immersed in a vibe. So it was a really exciting opportunity for the both of us to collaborate and approach the design from a hospitality perspective rather than a traditional retail perspective,” Posada says.
For Posada—who hails originally from Colombia, was raised in Portland, and now resides in New York—community is the key ingredient to a space that truly sings. At the East Village Standard Hotel, which she worked on during her time with Shawn Hausman, that meant integrating interiors with the surrounding Cooper Square area and embracing the neighborhood’s casual coolness. And at Le Zoo in Miami (another Hausman project she contributed to), the designer developed a scene straight out of the French Riviera, with mosaic floors, bentwood café chairs, and half-curtained windows. Across all of these projects, Posada has helped create spaces that convey a strong look that resonates with patrons.