Decorating your home with objects that have a special meaning isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s also about transforming your house into a haven.
Few people know this better than artist Michael Aram, who has dedicated his career to crafting ritual objects and houseware designs that elevate life’s everyday moments.
Two years ago, Aram, 59, and his husband Aret Tikiryan purchased a 1920s Mediterranean-style home in Palm Beach, where they now live with their twins, Anabel and Thadeus, 11.
As Aram works to renovate his home, he’s also gleaning ideas for new collections. An artist who finds inspiration in his surroundings, and nature in particular, Aram says the beauty and tropical ambiance of South Florida have already given him a wealth of design ideas.
“I love the South Florida lifestyle, the beauty and the sense of ease and graciousness we’ve experienced here,” Aram says. “I envision future designs, inspired by Florida, that feature palms and sea grape leaves.”
Many of the designs Aram is incorporating into his own home, such as light sconces, will be featured in his upcoming collections. He says there’s also been a gentle pivot in the packaging and design of his stores since he relocated from New York City to Palm Beach.
“In New York, our visual brand language was darker, but when we opened our store two years ago in Miami, that didn’t feel right,” Aram says. “We’re thinking more in color and that’s reflected in both our signature boutique in Bal Harbour and packaging that feature lighter colors. I think it’s invigorating to shake things up from time to time.”
South Florida’s color palette, inspired by the beauty of the area, has even impacted Aram’s choice of clothing.
“I’m wearing a green sweater today,” he says with a laugh. “It’s been an interesting evolution for me personally as well.”
Inspired By Rituals And Culture
At Aram’s flagship store at the Bal Harbour Shops in Miami, his full range of products, including home décor, jewelry and tableware are on display for shoppers. This month he plans to open another venue in Palm Beach.
“We originally envisioned the Palm Beach property to be wholesale only,” Aram says. “But it’s such a beautiful setting, that we decided to open it to customers by appointment.”
Born in Rhode Island as Michael Aram Wolohojian and raised in a tight-knit Armenian family in New York, Aram’s craft-based design work is influenced by his family’s culture, customs and rituals.
“I remember being a young boy and crawling around on my family’s carpets, fascinated by the colors, patterns and sacred symbols,” he says. “Even as a child, I always enjoyed making things with my hands.”
Aram also has fond memories of eating homecooked family dinners around beautifully set tables, where his family savored the nightly ritual of eating together. Today, many of his metal serving pieces feature symbols that can be found in Armenian culture including pomegranates, olive branches, grapevines and the tree of life.
These symbols and images are also reflected in Aram’s popular Judaica collection that includes seder plates, menorahs, kiddush cups, mezuzahs and more.
“My Persian clients often ask if I’m Persian, while my Jewish customers think I’m Israeli,” Aram says. “I’m actually a third-generation Armenian American, but I do see many similarities with Judaism relating to faith, culture and family life.”
When Bloomingdale’s asked Aram to design a Judaica line for their stores, he drew upon his own upbringing in Scarsdale, N.Y., a town with a large and active Jewish population.
“I wanted the Judaica collection to be both beautiful and meaningful,” says Aram of the pieces that are designed to be cherished and passed down through generations.
Aram starts his creative process by drawing an image and then moving on to clay to get a sense of the dimensions. Since each piece is made by hand, no two are alike, resulting in what Aram calls a “perfectly imperfect” final product.
Each of his Judaica designs is inspired by the beauty of nature and Aram says much of his work features “a rich storyline, inherent symbolism and deep-rooted meaning.”
As an example, his Wisteria Gold collection includes twisted and curving vines, one of his favorite motifs.
“I think of vines as a symbol of love, when I see how they grow together with grace, strength and vitality,” Aram says. “I love to design pieces that have meaning and can be given for special occasions across different cultures.”
A Life-Changing Trip To India
Trained as a painter, sculptor and art historian, Aram received a bachelor’s degree in Art History at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine before traveling to the University of Florence in Italy to study fine arts.
Returning to New York City, Aram continued to explore fine arts at the Art Students League and took a job designing posters and books at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In 1988, at the age of 25, Aram traveled to India where he discovered talented artisans in Delhi who used timeless metal techniques to make buckets, shovels, animals and more.
Aram was impressed by the hospitality, aesthetics and craftsmanship he witnessed among the artisans. Although he didn’t speak Hindi, Aram was fascinated watching the metalworking process. He mastered the art of gesturing with his hands and went on to learn the craft of metalworking first through observation and then through collaboration.
“I remember making forks with a craftsman who for years had made buckets and other functional objects but had never made forks before,” Aram says.
He went on to launch a studio and second home in Delhi. He now employs approximately 200 local artisans in India and another 100 in the United States.
Each of Aram’s innovate craft-based designs sells in national and independent retail stores around the world and on his website, michaelaram.com.
A 30-Year Career Comes Full Circle
Aram’s sculpture, “Migrations”
Reflecting on his 30-year career as an artist, Aram admits he never anticipated having a successful global lifestyle brand and such an enduring career. Not only has he created timeless craft-based heirloom pieces for his customers, he’s also been asked to design art that transcends history.
In 2015, Aram was commissioned to create a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. His sculpture, “Migrations,” depicts clusters of bronze birds flying out of a gaping crack in a map of Armenia, symbolizing the Armenians who escaped to other countries.
The 16-foot-tall sculpture is displayed outside the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America on the corner of 34th Street and 2nd Avenue in New York. For Aram, whose grandparents lived through the genocide, the sculpture holds a special meaning.
In 2016, he was asked to design a sculpture to be presented to Pope Francis on his visit to Armenia. Aram designed a Noah’s Ark sculpture, a symbolic metal piece featuring a toufa stone base from Mount Ararat, a dove, olive branch and the ark, as a gift from the Armenian people. It now holds a place of honor in the Vatican.
This fall, Aram’s career comes full circle, when the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where Aram worked as a young artist, will feature 5-6 of his Judaica pieces in a retrospective of his career.
Until then, Aram continues to work on his newest collection for 2023 and decorating his own family haven in Palm Beach.
“During the pandemic, I designed two metal iPad/tablet stands which have been a big hit in our home with my children using them when they take classes remotely and Aret and I using them for Zoom calls,” he says. “We’re decorating our home with everyone’s favorite objects. My children have their own artwork displayed and even our dog, Rex, has his own decorative dog bowls, cast in metal.
