Interior design is the branch of spatial design that is most closely linked to the passage of time. An interior has a much shorter time span than a building; it is also subject to many variables, unlike, for example, a stage space, a set, which serves a particular performance or production. In fact, interior design is a constant battle with time, with changing conditions, a kind of bridge between past and future, while at the same time it speaks to the present of the moment. Whoever can create permanence in this genre is both an artist and a craftsman in the deepest sense of the word.
The work of interior designer Pál Somogyi can be truly understood from the perspective of the process that links past and future. The family tradition and the childhood spent in a furniture factory made him an exceptionally sensitive recipient of historical styles, of elaborate details, of the values of natural materials, especially wood, the most commonly used material in furniture production. He also learned at an early age about technology and the whole process of making objects. On the other side of the family tree, the respect for precision that he inherited from his grandparents, who were apothecaries, helped him to develop a creative attitude. The combined effect of the two almost naturally led him to turn his exceptional drawing skills towards the creation of space and objects.
The spirit of the College of Applied Arts in the late 1960s was buoyed by the new economic mechanism, the school's foreign contacts expanded rapidly, and students gained some insight into artistic developments in the world. Rector Frigyes Pogány's extraordinary education and European spirit had a profound influence on the later careers of the whole generation. Thanks to his scholarly and teaching approach, which synthesised the various artistic disciplines, the equal importance of architecture, interior design and the arts as a whole led students to a more complex approach during his time at the helm. But other greats of the profession were also present among the faculty. Furniture designer József Király, architects György Szrogh and Zoltán Farkasdy Szrogh, and interior designer István Németh were also significant influences on Pál Somogyi's early career. After graduation, he worked in architectural offices, which further strengthened his view of interior design as an applied art, in dialogue with the architectural framework, enhancing its values, emphasizing the atmosphere created by styles, materials and structures.
His first independent work was in the then burgeoning commercial and hospitality sectors: he designed hotel and restaurant interiors, and his work already had the distinctive hallmarks that are still as valid today, four decades later. From the very beginning, Somogyi's work combined functional requirements and contemporary design with references to architectural history, a restrained but still perceptible use of symbols and attention to detail. He always adapts his interior design to the architectural framework, but with great creative freedom, using the possibilities offered by the structure, materials and style of the space. His artistic knowledge, his knowledge of art history and his professionalism have led to generous solutions from the very beginning of his career. With the interior of the Bajkál Tea House in the House of Soviet Culture in Budapest (1975), he created one of the most iconic spaces in the capital of the time, and he did so with great sensitivity, avoiding the clichés inherent in the subject. A metal tube with Plexiglas panels followed the same line on the ceiling above the sculpted bar with its multiple curves that dominated the interior of the tearoom-restaurant. The scaly effect of the wall coverings and the rustic textile partition brought an oriental mystique to the space rather than the obligatory Soviet folk reminiscences. The harmony of the textile, glass, wood and metal works, the lighting and the exciting, fresh, contemporary atmosphere of the spaces created a unique quality. But the greatest sensation of the teahouse was the curved, plywood seating designed by Somogyi, whose elegance, fine lines and beauty of form made it so popular in the industry that Pier Luigi Nervi, the Italian structural designer who became world famous for his expressive reinforced concrete structures and co-designer of the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, personally paid tribute to Somogyi.
In the late seventies, the design of the interiors of several cultural centres followed one after the other: the Almássy Square Leisure Centre in Budapest, the House of Culture in Gödöllő and the Youth House in Salgótarján were institutions serving several, often parallel functions, and these brought Somogyi considerable design experience. The change of regime brought new tasks: hotels, bakeries, cultural institutions - including the Fészek Klub, a centre of the Budapest art world - restaurants and office buildings. In 1992, he was commissioned to design the interiors of the fast-food outlets of the McDonald's chain, which was coming to Hungary. The franchise system was still new in the newly transformed society, and so were consumer demands. Over the next 12 years, Somogyi designed around 80 restaurants for the network across the country, satisfying the need to fit in with the corporate identity and to remain faithful to the built environment of the towns and cities, with subtle translations of building details in the fast food restaurants, often housed in historic buildings. The result was a rich variety of styles, from pop-art to high-tech and minimalism to country, which gave each restaurant an identity beyond its uniformity.
In the 90s, interior design work for diplomatic residences and diplomatic apartments followed. All of them expressed a strong identity with historical reminiscences. For example, the Turkish Embassy Residence on the top of the Sun Hill (1995) was the result of the conversion of a 1930s villa. Its exterior has only a trace of oriental character, as the designers (architect: Judit Semsey) were guided by the idea that Turkey, which is opening up to Europe, does not want to display its own culture but common western values. The interior, however, was designed in a typically oriental way, as a series of linked spaces. From the entrance, an elegant single-arm staircase leads to the ground floor. In the centre, a two-storey octagonal lobby, lit from above by an opeion, is a representative space for receptions, with an oriental courtyard atmosphere. The lobby can be combined with the separate men's and women's salons, the dining room and the library. From the lobby there are a few steps leading down to the gardens via the octagonal terrace. On the upper level there is a living area for the ambassador and his family. An Art Deco motif, an inverted ribbon pattern, running throughout the interior, subtly suggests Islamic ornamentation, while the inlays and stylized stalactite patterns also reinforce this mood, as do the indirect lighting plaster friezes and the custom-designed coloured glass inlay lamps. The use of materials is understated yet rich in colour and light effects: brass, chrome, eosin glazed ceramics, coloured glass tiles combine oriental grandeur with a clean modern feel.
The building of the Supreme Court of Justice (2003), inaugurated in 1912, has undergone many changes over almost a century. Pál Somogyi and his colleagues, after several renovations, have created a banqueting hall in place of the upstairs council chamber, which had a rather uncharacteristic socialist atmosphere. The details are reminiscent of the building's origins, with stuccoes on the walls showing stylised symbols of justice. The flexibility of the banqueting hall was a key requirement, requiring the installation of two large suspended sliding walls with decorative panels, the ability to cater for multiple events simultaneously, which required special acoustic requirements, and the use of the highest air conditioning solutions of the time. The main highlight of the banqueting hall is the illuminated false dome in the ceiling, which, despite the dark wood panelling, adds to the sense of space, with a row of chandeliers linked by a strip of illuminated glass behind a coloured Art Deco glass strip. The role of lighting in Pál Somogyi's work is also evident here: the placement of the light fittings follows or even repeats the contours of the basic motif of the interior, the room is also lit by indirect lights hidden in a circle, and the ornate chandeliers repeat architectural details. Next to the banqueting hall, a hanging garden with plants has been created, which is not only a magnificent showpiece but also a pedestrian terrace. The reconstruction has thus unlocked the building's potential and, through the use of lighting, elegant cladding and modern technologies, has created a contemporary space that is both contemporary and imposing, with a sense of permanence.
The Aranytíz Cultural Centre in Budapest (2005) is the result of a joint project between Pál Somogyi and architect Bertalan Horváth. The task was to create the framework for a multi-generational, high-demand cultural institution that would simultaneously host a variety of events in a historic setting in the city centre, which would be elegant, youthful and timeless, while also accommodating commercial functions alongside cultural activities. While the façade of the building retains its original features, everything inside has been given a new role. The interior design, with its emphasis on neoclassical architectural details, creates a harmonious whole despite the varied spaces and functions. The interior is consistently characterised by a system of wooden corner guards and beech veneer cladding. The staircase has a new wrought-iron balustrade, the glass-roofed atrium provides natural light to the exhibition space, and the acoustic and cladding design of the large hall is suitable for theatre performances, concerts, conferences and balls. Again, the unique lighting solutions typical of Somogyi's work have resulted in ornate luminaires and generously shaped lighting systems, varying in form from space to space and function to function. The interiors are completed by comfortable seating with individually designed, witty lines.
Among the hotel interiors created in recent years, it is important to mention the transformation of the Hungarian King Hotel in Székesfehérvár (2010, architect: Péter Szendrő). Pál Somogyi's approach to the interiors of the building, designed by Mihály Pollack and located in a prominent position in the city, was to combine the modern, clean lines of the interior with the classicist stylistic features that dominate the building, with a restrained but dignified four-star hotel quality. The glass roof of the central courtyard, the lantern-like light fittings in the corridor behind the entrance, the concealed indirect lights, the stained and varnished Swedish flooring and the architectural features highlighted on the walls, the splendour of the banqueting hall with its gilded wooden elements, all emphasise the original atmosphere of the building. The wine cellar in the basement with its brick flooring and the extra wall of demolished brick, the warm wall cladding and mosaic surfaces of the rooftop wellness area, and the unique seating designed for each space are sophisticated contemporary elements that bring this character into the contemporary mindset as a sophisticated transcription.
The St. Gellért Hotel and Study House (2014), owned by the Bishopric of Székesfehérvár, has been given a new identity by transforming a characterless, poorly maintained building from the 1980s. It now houses guest rooms, lecture and seminar space, a restaurant, a café, community spaces and a house chapel. Pál Somogyi is both architect and interior designer. At the heart of the multi-functional spaces is the over-lit auditorium, where natural light pervades the entire cross-section of the building thanks to the two-storey auditorium and the glass panels between the ground floor and the basement. The staircases connecting the levels thus float almost without substance in the space. The uniform colour scheme - white and pale purple - gives the spaces an airy yet serious feel, and the glass walls add to this light floating effect. The angel wing motifs in the guest rooms also emphasise this spiritual content of sacredness that can be experienced from within. The roof terrace, which is intended for relaxation, is divided by open-worked wooden partitions and, like the intimacy of the interior, can function as both a private and a shared space.
The essence of the oeuvre is to understand and manage the architectural heritage. In Pál Somogyi's work, the value received and the quality added are closely linked. His interior design, his entire creative philosophy, is dedicated to the preservation of value, to the transmission of the generosity of spatial structures and the spiritual essence found in the details. This is why we perceive his spaces as both an expression of our own time and an adequate representation of the existing architectural environment, and thus of the high culture of the country.
[Made: 2016]