3. Interior Display
Mariana Cunha
Mariana Cunha is an Interior and Spatial Designer recently graduated from the MA Interior Design programme at the Royal College of Art.
Born and raised in the city of Porto in Portugal, Mariana previously completed a degree in Interior Design at ESAD College of Art and
Design. As a student, she participated in several workshops and competitions, as ‘Hotel Lab- Eurostars Competition’ and ‘Sonae Competition for the World Retail Congress’, where she was shortlisted.
Prior to going to the RCA, the Designer worked at Alberto F Lino, an Architecture practice based in Porto. She contributed to several
commercial and residential projects, having led the Interior Design team on a rehabilitation project of a historical building in the city.
Throughout the years, the Designer has been working on several projects that span from different realms of the creative field, such as
‘Casiopea Momo’, where Mariana teams up with two other Designers to explore the narratives on the human inhabitation and appropriation of spaces through Poetry, Photography and Illustration.
Currently based in London, Mariana Cunha has a keen interest in designing spatial narratives.
While studying at the Royal College of Art, Mariana explored her creativity in distinct realms of the interiors and experimented several
approaches on her creative process.
In the first year of the programme, the Designer studied Experience Design in-depth to then develop her dissertation ‘Experience Design
Shaping the New Era of Retail’. In the second year, she specialised in the Display Platform, focusing on retail, ephemeral and exhibition Design. These experiences helped to shape her own Design thinking and language.
Mariana truly believes in the importance of human interactions and playing with people’s senses to provide memorable and meaningful experiences.
As a result, her work is focused on exploring the use of colour, light, texture, smell, sound and journey to tell a story and enhance the human experience in a space.
From the creation of artistic interventions to ephemeral or permanent spaces, the Designer seeks to use space as a provocative and engaging medium for its users, resulting in designs that are both visually appealing and that convey meaning.
Marques'Almeida
Marques'Almeida Core
M'A Home Tour - Site
M'A Home Tour - Facade
M'a Home Tour - Plan
M'a Home Tour - Material Palettes
M'a Home Tour - Axonometric
Using the Shoreditch New Inn Yard Studio as a site, this project was conceived as a hybrid experience for M’A, combining the digital and real-world to truly merge and create a strong bond between the customers and the brand. How can a brand achieve a considerable level of engagement and provide meaningful moments to its customers, in a post-COVID scenario?
The abstraction of home was generated as a transversal concept for a semi-permanent showroom and an online experience. The concept translates the core values of the brand, such as inclusivity and community, and can be adapted through different scenarios and seasons.
Four different sets have been designed, each abstracting specific areas of the domestic space- living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. Together they compose the first layer of the project – the M’A showroom, with each set displaying a selection of garments from the brand’s AW20 collection and some M’A core pieces.
In this semi-permanent showroom, visitors will have the chance to experience the brand environment offline. It is a space designed for communication and shared experiences.
While wandering through the space, visitors will find four different moods, each playing with their senses through color, texture, light, and sound.
An immersive visual projection of abstract paintings will surround the main space, letting customers
feel they are in a courtyard while contextualizing the most recent collaboration with painter Paul Anderson Morrow.
Marques ’ Almeida truly believes in empowering everyone’s different identity and creating a sense of relatability in its community. Through the concept of M’A HOME TOUR, not only the brand builds a microcosm for its community but it also encourages everyone to feel their own reality part of the brand too.
