Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 36 (Alexandra Burr) and 38 (Allen Slamic).
Occupation: Architects.
Instagram: @alexallenstudio.
Hometown: Williamstown, MA (Alex) and Cleveland, OH (Allen).
Studio location: Gowanus, Brooklyn.
Describe what you make: We are architects that make lighting fixtures and products. We also design spaces and homes.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: We feel all our products and architectural projects are equally important. Together they create a cohesive identity and illustrate our design ethos. But if we must choose, it would be our Chord Cluster. It embodies what we feel makes for good design—it is pared-down yet luxurious. It is minimal yet has expressive details and a sense of tectonics. It is restrained yet evokes grandeur. It is this balance that we strive for in our products and projects.
Describe the problem your work solves: We like to work with constraints and come up with clever ways to create beauty and function around existing conditions. When it comes to architecture, we love to solve tricky spatial problems to create a beautiful organized plan. Or work within tight budgets and still create something fabulous. When it comes to our products, we find clever ways to manufacture from stock components for better efficiency. We find these constraints result in a more intriguing end result.
Describe the project you are working on now: We have a bunch of architecture projects in the works—a couple of townhouses, a NoHo artist loft, a Central Park West apartment renovation, and a small freestanding sauna building located on the property of our New Paltz house project. We are also experimenting with lightweight concrete for some new products.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: We will be launching two new floor lights this May at ICFF that we are excited about. Stay tuned!
What you absolutely must have in your studio: COFFEE.
What you do when you’re not working: We are chasing around our kids—two cute wild boys named Sebastian (5) and Oliver (2).
Sources of creative envy: Jean Prouvé, Pierre Chareau, David Chipperfield, Donald Judd, Agnes Martin.
The distraction you want to eliminate: Clutter, both in our studio and our minds.
Concrete or marble? Concrete.
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse.
Remember or forget? Remember.
Aliens or ghosts? Ghosts.
Dark or light? Light.
