AMMA Studio

New York, ammastudionyc.com
AMMA is interior designer Samuel Amoia and artist Fernando Mastrangelo. Their splashy 2014 debut included furniture made from coffee, BB pellets, and Himalayan rock salt.

What is American design to you, and what excites you about it?
American design is longing to re-contexualize and break boundaries. When I initially met Fernando, my business partner, we both immediately agreed that we wanted to take furniture in a different direction. A lot of European/African/Asian design is embedded in history, in a beautiful way, but so much so that it will not and should not reinvent itself. American design is not bound to any such rules and is free to take on any form or material that it desires. I think that is inherently exciting.

What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year?
AMMA Studio is expanding in all directions this year. We’re working on some limited edition pieces with Delorenzo Gallery. We also just launched internationally at designjunction during London Design Week. We’re in talks with MoMA about a capsule collection, and we’re producing collaborations with multiple galleries on the West coast. We’ve also collaborated on a new retail space with a big fashion house — can’t wait to see it come alive.

What inspires your work in general?
We split our time between upstate New York, Manhattan, and Miami. Jumping for rural to urban to coastal helps keep us inspired. Specifically, I find inspiration in the antique shops in upstate NY and the beautiful Art Deco architecture in Miami.
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