Designer of the Day: Yaniv Chen

Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.

Age: 36

Occupation: Interior architect and furniture designer.

Instagram: @yanivechen

Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa.

Studio location: Turin Italy, and Cape Town, South Africa.

Describe what you make: I create interiors and furniture that evoke a nostalgic feeling that I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s almost like I try to create a sense of déjà vu. This quote by Carson McCullers sums it up nicely: “We are torn between nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange. As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known.”

The most important thing you’ve designed to date: Perhaps one of my very first projects: a design for an Aesop store within a luxury department store. Working with this brand and learning from their highly detailed approach to the way people interact with the space and brand is something that still informs the way I design today.

Describe the problem your work solves: I have this gripe that the vast majority of luxury furniture being released is fuelled more by designer ego than by the pursuit of complementing interiors. Pieces jostle for position to out-unique other pieces at the cost of beauty. I design pieces that are created for the simple idea of being beautiful—pieces that can live in a Victorian home as well as a contemporary one. My endeavor when creating furniture is to create quiet pieces that transcend time and fall gently into the background. With every piece I design for Lemon, this is at the forefront of my mind.

Describe the project you are working on now: I’m currently beginning my first hotel interior, which is a dream come true. To me, interior design is about world-creating, being able to immerse someone in an environment that transports them to places unknown. I endeavor to create a world that evokes an era that does not yet exist—both historic and futuristic, ornamented and minimal. I am also constantly on calls with Kevin Frankental, creative director of Lemon, and my closest friend. We have many pieces that we are constantly discussing and developing, with some rather exciting launches this year.

A new or forthcoming project we should know about: The Aquarama Headboard (June), Drapery Table (August), and Conservatory Collection (March), all for Lemon.

What you absolutely must have in your studio: Laughter. At Master, we take our projects incredibly seriously. We discuss details ad nauseam, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously—not at all.

What you do when you’re not working: Host dinner parties. This is perhaps my favorite “hobby.” I love meeting new people. I’ll often meet someone at a café and invite them to our Friday dinner party. Of course, this is hit or miss with about a 20 percent success rate, but it’s fun to throw some new blood into your friend group and see what transpires.

Sources of creative envy: Where to begin… Carlo Mollino is the current frontrunner. I live in Turin, and he’s somewhat of a god here. Well, maybe not a god, but certainly a saint. His ability to create interiors that have a sense of, for lack of a real word, placelessness, is something I haven’t seen done by anyone else. A world completely unique to him in which he chooses to live. I’m certainly envious of that.

The distraction you want to eliminate: Is it too obvious to say Instagram?

Concrete or marble? Marble, in moderation. I feel like this design movement to clad every surface in marble with the idea that it creates an impression of luxury is somewhat gauche. That being said, I love marble. When I’m at the marble yards, I’m constantly gobsmacked seeing all these magnificent stones that came out of the earth. The exploration of the Drapery Table for Lemon and the intensive search for the right marbles and travertines around Italy has been nothing short of delightful. It’s one of the few things that evokes a childlike sense of awe and wonder in me.

High-rise or townhouse? Homestead. Nothing fancy, but if I don’t have some chickens, two wolfhounds, and a fireplace in the next five years… let’s just say I won’t be a happy camper.

Remember or forget? Remember. Memories inform every decision I make.

Aliens or ghosts? Ghosts. Since I was a child, I’ve been besotted with haunted houses. This is what inspired my love for interiors. I believe in ghosts, I’ve seen ghosts, and I’m coming back as a ghost. They’re pretty.

Dark or light? Dark. It drives my wife a little crazy that my dream is to live in a dark, haunted house with a slightly damp smell.

Portrait by Amy Allais.