New York, studioandprojects.co
Lee first came onto our radar in her role as the design director at Atelier Ace — we still daydream about the sunlit, plant-filled, Rodolfo Dordoni-chairfied sitting room at New York’s now-defunct Sister City hotel — but what really made us sit up and take notice was Lee’s foundation in 2017 of the Black Folks in Design collective, for whom she’s curated two blockbuster exhibitions, most recently at Verso in Tribeca. An international network that spans disciplines, each BFiD exhibition spotlights members of the Black design community but also means to promote the idea that design and aesthetics aren’t simply a luxury but part of everyday life and therefore play a role in social, economic, and racial justice efforts. In her projects arm as Studio & Projects, Lee’s recently wowed us with colorful graphic rugs produced by Odabashian, and she’s currently at work on a large-scale community project in Harlem, alongside Frida Escobedo and Handel Architects. We can’t wait to see what she does next.

What is American design to you, and what excites you about it?

In some ways, the shadow of mid-century design continues to loom long in American design. So much of what is produced is in keeping with or in reaction to it. But I’m most excited about what inspirations can be found before that period. Native American design, the works of enslaved Africans, overlooked Asian Americans, and more. We have such a rich history to draw from. I’m beginning to believe that we may be seeing the envelope opening and that more voices of women, Black folks, and people of color are being recognized as part of the conversations across design disciplines. There is still a lot of work to be done around this, but I do find reason to hope that the American design canon is expanding.

What are your plans and highlights for the upcoming year?

I’m really excited about the scope of things Studio & Projects has to look forward to this year. On the product side, we just launched our light fixture, Cape, which is the first release from our lighting collection in collaboration with RBW. This has been in the works for the past couple of years with additional designs launching in 2024. We are also continuing to expand our rug collection with Odabashian. On the project side, highlights include a just kicked-off exhibit design project, a couple of new residential opportunities, an almost completed restaurant, a new hotel in an amazing historic building, and the opening of Ray Harlem and National Black Theatre. As for Black Folks in Design, coming off the success of our show this Fall we are already formulating new plans for 2024, including working to stage an exhibition abroad. So we have quite a bit on our plate and also feel lucky to get to work on such a variety of projects.

What inspires or informs your work in general? 

I’m a bit of a researcher at heart, so I always love to start and to ground a project by looking at basic things like context, location, and function. Like most designers, I have a library of books and images that I’ll initially draw from, but of course every project is unique in some number of ways which will inevitably lead to additional avenues I’ve yet to explore. Art is a huge inspiration for me in our projects. That could mean a color palette from a painting, the lighting in a photograph, or simply the mood and emotion of a piece. I’m also very much a textures and materials person, so I’ll often draw from my collection of items to provide jumping off points. I’m definitely a bit of a collector of things (high and low) — cast glass, scarves, small bowls, the list goes on. This can create some organizational challenges, but also great inspiration!