Anouska Hempel

Anouska Hempel (sometimes credited as Anoushka Hempel, now Lady Weinberg) (b. 13 December 1941, New Zealand) is a film and television actress turned hotelier and designer.

Hempel was born Anouska Geissler in Wellington, New Zealand. As a teenager in the mid-50s, she attended Sutherland High School. In 1962 she moved to the United Kingdom, and two years later married Constantine Hempel, a journalist and property developer who later died in a car accident. In 1980 she married financier Sir Mark Weinberg, with whom she has a son, Jonathan.

Her first film appearance was in the 1969 James Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (film). Thereafter she appeared in several films and TV programmes, including The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins and Russ Meyer's Blacksnake.

She is now a hotelier and designer of global repute, and is ranked by Architectural Design (2002) as one of the top 100 interior designers and architects in the world.

Hotels

Anouska Hempel has so far created four hotels. Blakes was created in 1978 as one of the world’s first luxury boutique hotels. Based in South Kensington, it is famous for its’ design, service and privacy. Additionally the restaurant in the hotel has become a destination in its own right, featuring a fusion of Anouska Hempel’s own favorite cuisines – Japanese and Italian. Blakes Amsterdam opened in 2002, and draws inspiration from Amsterdam's historic Dutch East India Company.

Her second hotel, The Hempel in London, was London's first minimalist hotel.

She is currently designing further landmark hotels in Brazil, Goa, Istanbul, Las Vegas, London and Oman. The first of these to open, in early 2008, will be her hotel in Brazil, to be called Warapuru in Itacare, Bahaia. It is a minimalist and monolithic work of architecture with interior design incorporating a spa and hotel set in the rainforest.

Restaurants and bars

Her restaurant designs range from modern minimalist to theatrical. Restaurant projects include Shy in Jakarta and Tom Aikens in London

Retail

Her work includes stores for Van Cleef and Arpels (London, Paris, Monaco, Beverly Hills, Osaka and Geneva stores) and Louis Vuitton, for whom she designed their flagship Paris store.

Residential and landscapes

Her residential designs range from the ultra-modern and minimalist to the grand style of ancient regimes - and often incorporate gardens and landscapes. She has worked in over 10 cities including London, Paris, Palma, Copenhagen, Boston, Jakarta, Venice, Salzburg and New York.

Products

Anouska Hempel’s product creations range from luxury fountain pens for Louis Vuitton, to the launch of her own cosmetic brand Zelens.

Offices

Anouska Hempel's office designs incorporate technical features such as plasma screens which emerge and retreat silently as desired. Recent projects include Bloomberg in London and New York.

Couture

Anouska Hempel’s clothes are known for their elegance, richness and classic look. Based out of a small boutique in South Kensington, she has made clothes for many famous and influential women - including Princess Diana and Princess Margaret of the British Royal family. Globally she has sold her clothes through prestigious retail outlets such as Barney’s (New York) and Max Field (Los Angeles).

Sources and external links

• Anouska Hempel Design
• Blakes
• The Hempel
• Warapuru
• Anouska Hempel at IMDb
• Anouska Hempel — from MyNottingHill
• Anouska Hempel, Lady Weinberg — National Portrait Gallery