This week we chatted with Interior Collab Director Ahmad AbouZanat about how his worldly career has informed and educated his sensibility which he now channels into his design firm, PROJECT AZ.

by Gianna Marzella
January 7, 2021

Ahmad has had his work featured by Interior Design Magazine, Rue Magazine, Apartment Therapy, Recipe for press, and Pulled inc. To tour the rest of the space above as featured in Interior Design Magazine, click here

Ahmad is a New York City based designer with a global point of view. Raised in Beirut, Lebanon, of Palestinian descent, Ahmad graduated from the American University of Science and Technology in Beirut with a degree in Interior Design. He worked for some of the most esteemed firms in the Middle East before he moved to Washington, D.C. in 2011. While working for these firms, Ahmad designed projects in Beirut, Dubai, Washington DC, Virginia, New York, London, Amsterdam, and the countryside of Lebanon, working both in residential and commercial applications. His worldly career has informed and educated his sensibility, which he now channels in his design firm, PROJECT AZ. Founded in 2017 and based in Manhattan, PROJECT AZ focuses on creating serene and arresting interiors, where a comfortable room is often the backdrop for beautiful artwork or a dynamic, show-stopping piece of furniture. “I aim to find furniture and art that demands your attention, and keep everything else subtle,” says Ahmad of his juxtapositional approach. “I play on textures and contrast.” This mandate leads PROJECT AZ to create spaces that are calming, compelling and most importantly, impeccably tailored to their clients’ interests.

Ahmad’s childhood in Lebanon, with its dynamic fusion of French and Middle Eastern architecture and design, continues to inspire the designer. His travels to Dubai has fostered a deep appreciation for the Minimalism of the architecture rising out of the desert, and he continues to admire and study the work of aesthetic scions like Tadao Ando, Vincent van Duysen, Patricia Urquiola, and Tom Ford.

We caught up with Ahmad to hear more about what inspires him.

When did you know you wanted to become an interior designer? What inspired you to transition to it? I studied Hospitality Management and after going through 2 summer internship programs, I knew I didn’t want to major in business anymore. I had a bet with one of my siblings that I could finish a second major in just 3 years. It was very intensive 3 year program with extra course loads every semester and courses in the summer. Growing up in Lebanon, I was interested in the mix of modern and European inspired Architecture, but never paid attention to design beyond that. It took one design course with the most wonderful professor, who became a very close and dear friend. This was when I realized this is what I want to do.

Who is your design icon? Vincent Van Duysen

What do you become most obsessed with when designing? I am always fascinated with light and its impact, how it shapes a space and brings out textures, colors, reflections, and the geometry it draws into the space. If I can use natural light as an added visual element in the space, I do. Then comes artificial lighting, its role, form, and placement. I love creating different lighting scenarios and figuring out how to navigate between them. 

Can you tell us something people don’t know about you that surprises them? I have little to no drawing or sketching skills. In college, my biggest challenge was presenting sketches as part of my presentations, so I compensated by photographing actual models of my designs, be it product or space. I always did an actual model and photographed it in different light and times of the day.

What is your approach to options? Do you like to show your clients many options or do you like to go in with one clear favorite? My approach to options changed recently. I now give clients a wide variety within their preferred style, ask for feedback, and then send a few options that speak directly to that feedback. This helped narrow down the overall number of options and gave my clients additional assurance that they're getting what they want.

How do you stay inspired? By visiting art exhibits and galleries. I am equally inspired by the content of the works and the layout of new exhibits. I am inspired by the layering of textures, juxtaposition of colors, the three dimensionality of the content and scenes created in the artwork. I then take a step back and examine the space I am in and try to relate the architecture to the display of the pieces. If it's a space I visited before, I challenge myself to remember what architectural changes the gallery or museum had to implement in order to accommodate the new show. My most recent obsession is to map out how the artwork got brought into the space.

What do you love the most about being an IC member? I am inspired by the dedication and determination of all the Founding Directors. They have kept strong from day one, going on against all the odds (and 2020), knowing when to dive in and when to take a step back, all in the interest of a larger community and not one individual’s benefit.  There's a big paradigm that design is ego driven, and Interior Collab introduced me to a large  number of like-minded Designers who believe that people lift each other up. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve gotten from fellow Collabers? There's plenty, but perhaps the best is to trust my gut feeling about new Clients and projects especially when there are red flags. The next best client will come along.

Ahmad is taking project requests for the start of 2021, if interested please contact him by clicking the button below.

contact form listed within profile

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