More From CULTURED

COMPANY

Current IssueArt + Food Issue

.noscript-alert { background-color: #fff5f5; color: #F42927; border: 1px solid #fcdede; padding: 30px 20px; margin: 50px auto; max-width: 650px; border-radius: 12px; text-align: center; box-shadow: 0 10px 25px rgba(0,0,0,0.05); font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; } .noscript-alert img { max-width: 120px; margin-bottom: 20px; } .noscript-alert h2 { font-size: 26px; margin: 0 0 10px; color: #cc0000; } .noscript-alert p { font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0; color: #444; } CuturedMag Logo

JavaScript is Disabled

To view content on CULTURED, please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Design Collector Questionnaire
Cultured Collections with Leyden Lewis

The founder and creative director of Brooklyn-based Leyden Lewis Design Studio shows Cultured around his Williamsburg loft where his curated art and design collection is guided by a trained eye and an emotional draw.

The founder and creative director of Brooklyn-based Leyden Lewis Design Studio shows Cultured around his Williamsburg loft where his curated art and design collection is

WORDS

Ajay Kurian

David A. Land

March 13, 2021

WORDS

Ajay Kurian

David A. Land

DATE:

March 13, 2021

Designer Leyden Lewis in his Brooklyn loft with his dog.

Elizabeth Fazzare: How did you begin to build your own collection?

Leyden Lewis: A collection for me is those objects that I cannot live without. I feel drawn to something like gravity, and I just have to have it.

EF: What pieces inspired you to continue?

LL: My toy collection. Those little figurines are colorful and optimistic; they make me very happy.

A collection of toys and ceramics sits on custom wall shelving by Leyden Lewis Design Studio.

EF: What designers/artists are inspiring you right now?

LL: All of my cocreators in the Black Artists and Designers Guild for the Obsidian project.

EF: Does the marketplace help your discovery process? Why or why not?

LL: Yes, of course. I find inspiration in places such as Material ConneXion and the D&D building in New York. The marketplace is always inviting conversation about new furniture and fabrics.

leyden lewis home — A gallery wall featuring artworks by Jeffrey Hargrave, Boogie, Jared Buckheister, Jack Pierson, Lyle Ashton Harris, Lorna Simpson, Tyquane Wright, Potsdamer Platz Art Fair, the designer himself and his father, Lionel Lewis. Sculpture by Martin Sjoberg and Wiggle stool by Frank Gehry.

EF: What is the next piece on your radar?

LL: A set of "color coded" prints from Kyle Goen.

EF: What is the one piece that got away?

LL: There was a piece just recently on my radar but sadly was already sold. It was a two-foot by four-foot woven female body part. I discovered it one day browsing online and was immediately drawn to its humorous and beautiful nature.

Craving more culture? Sign up to receive the Cultured newsletter, a biweekly guide to what's new and what's next in art, architecture, design and more.