Leyden found early inspiration in creative fields, eventually leading him to the world of design.
He founded and directsLeyden Lewis Design Studiowhere he honors the rich narratives of his clients.
just introduce yourself, and tell us about your upbringing.
The Spruce / Photo Illustration by Corinne Mucha /Ashok Sinha
Where are you from and what was it like growing up there?
I am a New York City nativeborn and raised in East New York and Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
Want more design inspiration?
Ashok Sinha
What made you decide that being a designer was your calling?
My father is an artist and exposed me to a lot.
Design was always one of my creative interests.
Pratya Jankong
Ultimately it was the one that I felt most suited to having a career in.
I love design: the idiosyncratic manipulations of form and how it relates to function.
Design is not art.
Ashok Sinha
Design is the system of functionality and how it is expressed creatively through a practice.
I love thinking about how to beautify a practiceof living, eating, sleepingthrough design.
Ashok Sinha
How would you describe your personal style and approach to designing spaces?
I resist having a specific style.
As a designer I want to continue trying to evolve and remain nimble.
Im asking myself, how does the narrative around the clients lives get expressed in their environment?
Its not just about what I want or think.
There is the decision that you make and hopefully the love you have for that decision.
It is part of what makes the design process really beautiful.
Growing up I loved spending time with my dad at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC.
Its about finding inspiration through active observation, even when something may seem wholly unrelated.
Pratya Jankong
What design project have you done thats stuck with you throughout your career?
Participating in the Kips Bay 1999 Decorator Showhouse was an important career milestone for me.
Thats the beauty of designer showhouses.
I designed and had fabricated myChair 1and had a panel made from sheet silicone with a steel frame.
I still really love those designs.
How do you incorporate design elements from the communities you grew up in into your work?
When I think of color, I think of playing mas during the Caribbean Carnival.
Mas is short for masquerade.
Participants dress in gorgeously elaborate costumes and masks to dance throughout the celebrations.
What does it mean to you to be a Black man in your industry?
This of course has resulted in the discounting Black creativity and design, as well as Black wealth.
My hope is for new ideologies and ethos to enter the history of design.
What’s one thing you attempt to incorporate in every space you design?
What’s your go-to shop when you want nice decor?
I loveflea marketsand 1stdibs feels like a digital one.
What design trend are you tired of?
Bouclehas got to go.
Where’s the best place you’ve ever been, design-wise?
Its a total mashup of the East and the West aesthetically, spiritually, and culturally.
The architectural and aesthetic confluence of multiple ideologies is amazing.
