Why designer Karim Rashid is now settling scores with beige minimalism

For four decades, Karim Rashid has championed spaces that allow emotion. He has completed more than 4,000 projects in over 40 countries, designing hotels from Athens to Cancún — all marked by a distinctive signature that blends organic forms with luminous colour and a philosophy he calls ​“sensual minimalism.”

Born in Cairo in 1960 and raised in Canada, Rashid now works between New York and Miami. He believes in democratic design: spaces that are accessible, that move people, and that release energy. In conversation, he explains why beige in 2026 is no longer a symbol of elegance but of avoidance — and why hotels need to rediscover the courage of emotion.

Why is colour more radical than ever right now?

Karim Rashid: In 2026, beige minimalism often represents not neutrality but avoidance. Much of hospitality design feels like a ​“safe space” aesthetic that confuses silence with care. But people travel to feel more alive, to experience something new. Emotional design is therefore more important than ever — our everyday lives are already shaped by screens, stress, and uniformity. A hotel should offer renewal. Colour is radical because it expresses conviction. It creates atmosphere, activates the senses, and signals: here, you are allowed to feel something. Warmth is not a trend; it is a human need.

How does ​“sensual minimalism” differ from sterile luxury minimalism?

Karim Rashid: Sensual minimalism is reduction with empathy. Sterile minimalism often follows a visual formula — smooth surfaces, muted palettes, emotional distance. Sensual minimalism, by contrast, is soft, tactile, curved, and inviting. It remains clear, but never cold. It uses form as gesture and colour as mood. In the luxury segment, the understanding is shifting: ​“premium” no longer means silence, but care, comfort, and inspiration. The hotels that will succeed are those remembered as experiences — not as flawless showrooms.

If colour is a tool, how do you apply it concretely?

Karim Rashid: Colour is emotional navigation. The entrance forms the first sentence — it can carry energy. Transitional zones calm the visitor; private areas become more intimate. I work with graduated saturation, combine colour with light temperature and material reflection — because colour is always light on a surface. What matters most is the emotional objective. From there emerges a shared language of colour, texture, form, and silhouette. Colour communicates immediately — without words.

Democratic design and premium — a contradiction?

Karim Rashid: Not for me. Democracy means dignity, not cheapness. Luxury means excellence, longevity, and care for the senses. When premium functions as a laboratory that generates new ideas which later become more broadly accessible, there is no contradiction. True luxury does not lie in rare materials, but in rare thinking — in the quality of experience.

If AI personalizes everything, what remains for space itself?

Karim Rashid: Algorithms can calculate preferences, but they cannot create meaning. The body reacts instantly to curves, textures, and light atmospheres. The decisive experience does not lie in perfect personalization, but in the poetic moment — in something unexpected that touches you. The hotel of the future is not a perfect prediction; it is a welcome interruption. At the same time, function and materiality must be convincing — and this is where substance is often still lacking.

Sustainability often feels restrained. How can eco-luxury embrace colour?

Karim Rashid: Sustainability does not require visual austerity. Nature is intense and layered. What matters are systems that function: local materials, durable construction, repairability, transparent processes. Colour can be integral to the material itself — through pigmented ceramics or recycled textiles — rather than merely applied to the surface. When the system works, there is no need for greenwashing. The emotional palette becomes the visible expression of responsibility.

After 40 years, where does the energy come from?

Karim Rashid: From curiosity. I design from a place of optimism and preserve a sense of playfulness — it is the engine of originality. The only projects I regret are those where fear dictated too many compromises and the promised emotion was lost. In the end, it is about creating spaces that make people feel better — and intensify their experiences.

Don’t miss a thing — we’ll keep you up to date!

Sign up for our newsletter.