Life & Style | Home & Interiors

Rockstar-turned-designer Lenny Kravitz talks design

Stylish rock-star-turned-furniture-and-interior-designer Lenny Kravitz tells InsideOut about his homes around the world, the piece of furniture he wishes he’d designed and why Miles Davis is his dream client

By Angela Boshoff Hundal, Features Editor, InsideOut magazine
Published: 11:04 March 17, 2013

Image Credit: Supplied picture
"I have three places that are all completely different. They go from opulent in Paris to grass roots in the Bahamas."

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What is Kravitz Design?
Basically, it’s an interior design product and graphic arts company focusing on creating design that is engaging and thought-provoking.

People know you as a musician and actor. Why did you branch into interior design?
It has always been a passion of mine and I realised that even if I was a musician, design would always have a place in my life. When I had enough money to afford my own homes I really exercised that side of my creativity in my personal spaces and I became so energised and inspired by it that I ended up starting my own design company.

Who do you design for and what are your clients like?
They are people who are looking to do new and exciting things. We’ve designed for boutique hotels like SLS, created a luxury condominium in Miami called Paramount Bay, done graphics for Sushi Shop and created chandeliers for Swarovski that were shown at the Milan Furniture Fair and Art Basel. Our clients are a diverse group of people who want something that will differentiate them from others.

What’s your home like?
I have three places that are all completely different. They go from opulent in Paris to grass roots in the Bahamas.

What is your favourite room in your homes?
That would be my bedroom at my place in Paris. It looks out into a park, which gives me the feeling that I’m in the countryside, even though I am right in the centre of the city.

What designers do you admire?
I actually admire quite a few designers for many different reasons. But to name a few, I would say Philippe Starck, Joe Colombo, Verner Panton, Gabriella Crespi and Maria Pergay.

Is there a piece of furniture that made an impression on you when you were growing up?
My grandfather’s Formica-topped kitchen breakfast table from the Fifties. I’m using it now in my place in the Bahamas.

What’s your favourite piece of furniture in your home now?
I have a large wall-hung console by Paul Evans from the Sixties. It’s as much a piece of sculpture as it is a console.

If you could design for anyone who would that be? Miles Davis. He had a sensibility that was very sophisticated but funky. Miles had style.

What do you wish you had designed?
Michael Ducaroy’s Togo sofa.

What is your favourite piece from Kravitz Design?
The Maasai bed I designed for my bedroom in Paris. It’s a very masculine piece with a head and footboard in a polished stainless-steel frame encasing a bold zebra pattern. I love it because it is strong, modern and tribal.

What is your favourite Kravitz Design project?
That’s a difficult question. All of the projects have something special. That said, I am very proud of the work we did on the Paramount Bay condominium project in Miami, which involved more than 35,000 square feet of public interior space and over 60,000 square feet of exteriors, including the entry plaza and two pools. Even though the project is grand in scale, both the interior and exterior spaces are engaging, comfortable and inviting.

Is there a dream project that you’d love your firm to be a part of?
My dream is, simply, to work on things that come naturally to me, and to work with kind and creative people.

What are your thoughts on the influence of Middle Eastern design on interiors?
I love Middle Eastern design. To me it’s very romantic.

Have you been to Dubai before?
I’m sorry to say that I have never been. I am very much looking forward to visiting and possibly bringing the Kravitz Design aesthetic to projects there.

Where can people in Dubai purchase Kravitz Design products?
At the moment we are only doing commissioned projects, although we are planning the release of some product designs later this year.