Practically Modern

Composing contemporary designs, Lebanese interior designer and architect, Dori Hitti, is known for his unique twist of individualism. L-J Andrew explores his artistic, minimalist style

With an extensive assortment of projects in Lebanon, the GCC, Africa, Europe, and USA, Dori Hitti’s influence and style are admired and recognised the world over. Not only an architect and designer for restaurants and offices, Hitti has a natural flair for homes as well. With a remarkable eye and unique style, he focuses his considerable artistic flare into bringing opulence and perfection to all areas of interior design. Simple ideas are translated into successful projects. His approach is subtle, simple, and elegant. Hitti explains: ‘My designs are modern but not eccentric, a fusion of tradition and minimalism, with a hint of the Levant.’

Dori’s designs show a preference for clear, fine lines and basic colours with no patterns due to his aversion to ‘a home looking like a museum’. Throughout every project, there’s a sense of importance to both beauty and comfort, consistent throughout the choice of furniture and other home style products from leading brands. For Dori, furniture is more than decorative and provocative; it’s an integral part of the overall design. Hitti brings interior styling and cultural tradition together, through an interaction of furniture and hierarchies of mass and void, enhanced by the clever use of colour and form to curate interiors that are both lavish and sleek.

Dori’s modernism, however, is not slavishly bonded to an ideology. He challenges orthodoxies to provide an architecture of dynamic delight, and duality. Although Hitti prefers to work with certain elements, he also enjoys working with the previously existing materials in the projects. In keeping with the architect’s characteristic flair for practical yet beautiful design, he combines raw, clean materials with more comfortable, stylish items. His recent collaboration with the renowned Brazilian artist Romero Britto, designing the famous colourful and creative Beirut Marathon statue, placed in the middle of Beirut’s downtown district, serves as a perfect representation of his work.

With his unique approach, Hitti has created warm and agreeable atmospheres in houses, apartments, mountain chalets, boutiques, restaurants, and luxury yachts and collaborated with many local and international brands including Porsche Design and Cavalli.

www.dorihitti.com