Palm Beach artist Michael Aram creates nature-inspired pieces for the home

A trip to India in 1989 inspired Palm Beach resident Michael Aram to take his career in a different direction.

A New York-based painter and sculptor who has designed books and posters for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he spent two months traveling the country observing skilled artisans creating ordinary objects like buckets, shovels, chisels and pots from various metals.

Aram found himself drawn to their “extraordinary” creative process and began taking notes and asking questions.

“They were making simple objects, but in a way that I couldn’t have imagined, by hand, with a lot of love, passion and uniqueness,” he said. “I studied what they were doing, I observed and took notes. I would approach them quietly, without any interpreters, and I would just make them a series of drawings and ask them if they could do what I was trying to convey. It was just their love of creation and experimentation.”

During his trip, which lasted two months and included a stopover in the historic district of Old Delhi, Aram decided he wanted to replicate the traditional techniques used by Indian artisans in his own work.

Back in the United States, he created Michael Aram, a brand of luxury jewelry and home objects inspired by nature.

His pieces include tableware, furniture and interior decorations handcrafted from materials such as silver-plated bronze, nickel-plated steel, marble, porcelain and crystal.

“My objects are always rooted in nature,” says Aram, who moved his company’s headquarters from New York to West Palm Beach in 2020. “Nature is my biggest muse. I love the kind of reflection of our own humanity and nature that is only amplified by the process of making things by hand. Making things by hand is already, sort of by definition, organic and a reflection of our humanity.”

More than three decades after its launch, the Michael Aram brand has attracted an international audience and can be found in department stores such as Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s.

Locally, Aram’s handcrafted pieces can be found at The Breakers, HIVE Home, Gift & Garden in West Palm Beach, and Macy’s stores.

“We have now built an international brand with offices in Europe and a distribution network in over 60 countries around the world,” said Aram, who employs over 200 artisans to create his pieces. “Luckily, our headquarters is here in West Palm Beach.”

He and his husband, Aret Tikiryan, and their 13-year-old twins, Anabel and Thadeus, live in a 6,200-square-foot home on Seminole Avenue in Palm Beach, where they are relishing the change of scenery following their move from New York at the start of the COVID pandemic.

“It’s a real change,” he said. “I loved every minute of my life in Greenwich Village. But what’s great for us as a family, for me personally and for our kids, is being in touch with nature. They’re swimming, sailing, playing tennis and doing things that were much more limited for them in New York. It’s a real balance for us. I pinch myself. We always say we live in paradise.”

The island inspired Aram to create a new line of nature-inspired jewelry, which debuted in May 2023.

Anabel Aram Jewelry, named after his daughter, who often visited her father in his workshop when she was younger, captures the city’s laid-back-chic vibe and sunny spirit, Aram said.

Pieces include earrings, bracelets, rings, necklaces and bangles created from solid brass castings using the lost wax process. Each piece is dipped in 18k gold before being hand-set.

“We launched this collection with Palm Beach and Anabel in mind,” Aram said. “It reflects the carefree lifestyle and laid-back attitude of the island.”

Jodie Wagner is a reporter for the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at [email protected]. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.