Contents
- 1 Who’s Who In Design? Readers Weigh In
- 1.1 1. Jessica Helgerson Talks Residential Design
- 1.2 2. Tadashi Kawamata Explores Geometric Installations
- 1.3 3. Mathieu Lehanneur Speaks About The Transformative Power Of Design
- 1.4 4. Anne Dereaux Explores How Music + AI Shape Her Work
- 1.5 5. DUELLE Crafts Interiors That Tell A Cinematic Story
- 1.6 6. Jon Powell Designs Interiors With A Seamless Edge
- 1.7 7. Liz Toonkel Crafts Immersive Worlds That Feel Authentic
- 1.8 8. Noz Nozawa Shares Her Design Journey + Her Lighting Collab
- 1.9 9. Es Devlin Goes In-Depth About Her Background + Process
- 1.10 10. Lostine Takes Inspiration From Vintage Finds
The wait is over! We’re counting down Interior Design’s top ’10 Questions With…’ features of 2024. The diverse voices and bold ideas of designers are what truly propel the industry forward, embracing the latest technologies, sustainable design initiatives, and pure imagination. Whether it’s Tadashi Kawamata’s mammoth installations spilling over a Parisian balcony or Liz Toonkel’s whimsical and dreamy set designs, our top interviews this year offer fresh perspectives, inspiring approaches, and a look at the creative forces redefining design for the better.
Who’s Who In Design? Readers Weigh In
1. Jessica Helgerson Talks Residential Design
Jessica Helgerson grew up with one foot in Southern California and the other in France, and her sensitive interiors are informed by reverence for both. Her firm, Jessica Helgerson Interior Design (JHID), does residential and commercial work but mainly specializes in breathing life back into historic houses. Helgerson constantly ideates new creative avenues for her studio to explore, such as Front of House, an installation gallery in the front of the JHID office, XUXO, a collaborative importing crafts from indigenous communities in Mexico, and The 1% Project, an effort aimed at supporting non-profits working to end homelessness. Read more about Jessica Helgerson’s work.
Photography courtesy of Jessica Helgerson Interior Design.
2. Tadashi Kawamata Explores Geometric Installations
Photography by Archives Mennour.
Born, raised and educated in Japan, artist Tadashi Kawamata has been living between Paris and Tokyo for the last 15 years. His often mammoth and rigidly elegant installations, however, occupy various parts of the globe, like his surreal installation for design firm Liaigre’s Paris mansion, or his Tree Huts installation in Manhtattan’s Madison Square Park. An eye for architecture and design plays a crucial role in Kawamata’s approach to seemingly impossible juxtapositions. The artist also takes cues from his years as a painting student in Tokyo. Working from a studio on the first floor of his Paris dwelling, Kawamata spends his time sketching and visualizing ambitious projects. Learn more about Tadashi Kawamata’s work.
3. Mathieu Lehanneur Speaks About The Transformative Power Of Design
When the athletes arrived to light the flame for the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris, the torch they carried was designed by Paris-based designer Mathieu Lehanneur. The shape—symmetrical both horizontally and vertically—is meant to represent equality, a driving force behind these games. Also named the Designer of the Year for 2024 by Maison&Objet, Lehanneur is known for creating works where the technical, the artistic, and the poetic blend together. For instance, Outonomy, represents man’s domination over nature while Demain est un autre jour (Tomorrow is another day), uses GPS to represent the sky for patients in a hospital palliative care unit. Discover Matheiu Lehanneur’s whimsical work.
Photography by Felipe Ribon.
4. Anne Dereaux Explores How Music + AI Shape Her Work
Photography courtesy of Anne Dereaux.
Anne Dereaux could be recognized as the designer who is redefining the essence of freedom. She recently created a furniture collection named Float that represents the illusion of heavy forms in flight and defines her creative liberty. She’s also the designer behind the construction of three-time Grammy-winning artist Victoria Monét’s home, which she’s been working on for two years now. In her practice, Dereaux believes in aesthetics and geometrical forms, and is an adept believer in AI shaping the future of the A&D world. And as a plus, she happens to be a musical artist, an art form that has assisted her in her creative process as an architectural designer. Get entranced with Anne Dereaux’s bold work.
5. DUELLE Crafts Interiors That Tell A Cinematic Story
Photography courtesy of Duelle.
A boutique interior design firm based both in London and Milan, DUELLE aims to craft “an environment that encapsulates the essence of the client’s own story.” But to that ethos, founders Melanie Liaw and Micaela Nardella also bring a heavy dose of their own varied backgrounds, design influences, and inspiration from other disciplines. The duo has garnered attention for residential projects, as well as a café and workspace in London. In their interiors, they aim for spaces that are both bold and refined, while creating a dialogue with fine art and custom furnishings. Explore more of DUELLE’s dreamy projects here.
6. Jon Powell Designs Interiors With A Seamless Edge
Jon Powell’s particular approach to designing interiors for domestic or public use is hinted at in his small firm’s workspace. The longterm New York resident and St. Louis native started Jon Powell Architecture in 2019 out of his apartment after spending 11 years at Maya Lin Studio. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, his projects in and outside of New York reflect this confident ease. Interiors feature seamless juxtapositions of function and form, as well as a candid blend of wood and each structure’s exposed characteristics. Collaboration is key in the architect’s process, whether with his team of colleagues or the clients who tap him for bright interiors with unbothered medleys of simplicity and nuanced accents. Read more about Jon Powell’s collaborative approach in his work.
Photography by Hanna Grankvist.
7. Liz Toonkel Crafts Immersive Worlds That Feel Authentic
Photography courtesy of Liz Toonkel.
Production designer Liz Toonkel has contributed to over 40 projects across disciplines. Focused on building immersive worlds, she designs spaces where the production design creates a feeling that enhances the film. Born in Chappaqua, New York, she studied at New York University (NYU)’s Tisch School of the Arts and the California Institute of the Arts in Art & Technology and Scenic Design (CalArts). Among Toonkel’s recent projects, she led production design on the 2024 thriller Skincare, creating sets inspired by real life in Los Angeles and the birth of beauty culture. One thing she is proud of is her interdisciplinarity, which ranges from directing her own film to performing her one-woman vegan magic show Magic for Animals. Uncover Liz Toonkel’s varied interdisciplinary work.
Photography by Alanna Hale.
Based in San Francisco, Noz Design celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year. Founder Noz Nozawa leads the boutique interior design firm through projects throughout the Bay Area, in New York City, and other cities as well. With an emphasis on thoughtful residences, the work is guided by client lifestyles and personal stories, an emphasis on narrative, and a desire to bring joy to residents. Nozawa also recently launched her debut lighting collection, a collaboration with Corbett Lighting, a brand of Hudson Valley Lighting Group. The 16-piece collection was inspired by Nozawa’s love of jewelry and informed by her experience crafting unique residential interiors. Learn about Noz Nozawa’s creative journey and her thoughtful work.
9. Es Devlin Goes In-Depth About Her Background + Process
Photo by Jason Ardizzone-West; Courtesy of Es Devlin.
British multidisciplinary Es Devlin has been at the forefront of theater design for over three decades. In that time, the trained artist and literary scholar has worked hard to break down the traditional hierarchy of high and low art—the notion that painting supersedes performance and pottery in between. Collaborating with both cultural and commercial patterns in equal consideration, Devlin re-invigorates the proverbial “stage” with her own brand of blended media as seen in a sound-washed labyrinth installation developed with Prada or the audience of James Graham’s Dear England play at London’s National Theatre. Nonetheless, the polymath set designer continues to investigate and harness new technologies. Explore Es Devlin’s non-linear path to interdisciplinary theater design.
10. Lostine Takes Inspiration From Vintage Finds
It was on an antiquing trip across the country that vintage menswear purveyor turned lighting designer Robert Odgen met his creative counterpart—and soon-to-be-wife—ceramicist Natalie Page. Eventually, after stints at Anthropologie and PHD Design, the couple would open up shop together, founding Lostine, a product design studio and marketplace offering American modern lighting and homewares. At their spacious showroom located in an old industrial warehouse, they share coworking office space with other creatives, warehouse the vintage finds they sell through Lostine, and make all Lostine lighting and furniture pieces in a stacked-and-stocked workshop that encompasses metalwork, ceramics, woodworking, and more. Discover Lostine’s varying lighting and furniture collections.
Photography by Jason Varney.