"There was always a lot to see and be inspired by, growing up in New York in the 70s," says Lenny Kravitz, who made his interior design debut a decade ago, when he started his own firm. "People had a lot of flair."
Taking inspiration from the likes of Miles Davis and Gordon Parks, the rocker turned Renaissance man creates interiors with soulful elegance: Zebra prints, Togo quilted sofas, and plush deep-pile carpets exude dramatic opulence, while black-and-white Walker Evans photographs vie with vibrant Warhols and gold Pedro Friedeberg Hand chairs.
"It's definitely got to be maximum vibe, " he explains. "Sexy and warm—sophisticated yet still approchable." Splitting his time between a town house in Paris's 16th Arrondissement, a customized Airstream trailer and recording stuiod in the Bahamas, and an organic farm in Brazil, Kravitz has designed penthouse suites at the SLS Hotel in Miami and crystal chandeliers for Swarovski—as well as colloborated on Mademoiselle chairs for Kartell, with his design mentor Philippe Starck.
He can often be found trawling the flea markets in Paris for antiques or hunting for quirky modern pieces at Todd Merill's shop in New York, though he says that ulitmately, the driving force behind his aesthetic is a sense of comfort and ease. "A lot of design looks great in pictures, but when you go hang out in it, it's not functional. I learned that very early on. So I try to create spaces that are just so comfortable and laid-back that you never want to leave."
