A Arte de Nini Andrade Silva – Design that embraces the world

Acknowledged as one of the world’s most influential interior designers, Nini Andrade Silva has made a name for herself as a leading figure in contemporary design. A native of Madeira, she embodies the essence of the Atlantic and a profoundly Portuguese aesthetic, enhanced by a universal language that transcends borders. Her signature style – poetic, sensory and unmistakable – can now be found in hotel projects, luxury residences and cultural spaces across more than five continents.
Over the course of a long and distinguished career, Nini Andrade Silva has collaborated with some of the most prestigious international hotel groups, including Marriott, Hilton, Belmond, Accor, Highgate, IHG, Barceló and Meliá, instilling a vision that redefines the concept of contemporary luxury and elevates the experience to new heights.
With a degree in Design from IADE in Lisbon, she has honed her cosmopolitan vision through academic and professional pursuits in New York, London, Paris, South Africa and Denmark. A career that has earned her wide international recognition, with features in publications such as The New York Times, the Financial Times, Architectural Digest, Wallpaper and Condé Nast Traveller. She is also a member of the prestigious Andrew Martin Interior Design Review, considered the ‘Oscars of Interior Design’.

Acknowledged as one of the world’s most influential interior designers, Nini Andrade Silva has made a name for herself as a leading figure in contemporary design.

Institutional recognition has been part of her journey: on June 10, 2011, the Portuguese Government awarded her the Honorary Title of the Grand Order of Infante D. Henrique, Officer Rank, recognising her role as an ambassador of national culture and talent. In 2022, she received the National Order of Merit, in the rank of Caballero, from the Presidency of the Republic of Colombia. In 2024, she took to the stage at the Web Summit as a keynote speaker, reflecting on the emotional impact of design in a world that is constantly changing.

In 2025, she was named Global Opinion Leader by the Cosentino Group, contributing to the Shaping Tomorrow: Future Design & Architecture 2025–2026 report. In the same year, she curated the exhibition Made in Portugal, Naturally, during Paris Design Week – one of the most important moments in the international affirmation of Portuguese design – and was a member of the jury at the AHEAD Awards in London, one of the most prestigious hospitality awards in the world.

Her signature style [...] can now be found in hotel projects, luxury residences and cultural spaces across more than five continents.

In parallel to her hotel projects, she develops collections of furniture and objects that are characterised by a sculptural and deeply sensory language, while also cultivating an active artistic presence, with works featured in contemporary art museums in Ireland, New York, and Japan.

In 2025, she took this vision – now also expressed in products – to the Portuguese Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka. Because Nini does not decorate spaces: she creates atmospheres. Places where time slows down, materials gain substance and luxury becomes memory, emotion and identity.
In addition to her work, she is an ambassador for the Funchal Community Development Association, Garouta do Calhau, a charitable organisation that honours Madeiran roots and promotes the integration of young people at risk – a cause she has supported since the beginning of her career and which reveals the profound human values that run through all of her work. It is this work that Villas&Golfe celebrates in this issue.

[In 2025] he curated the exhibition Made in Portugal, Naturally, during Paris Design Week […]

Text: Carla Martins
Photos: Rights Reserved