Marcus Samuelsson is already an award-winning chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and television personality. Now, with the launch of his first collaboration with West Elm, he can add “home goods designer” to his resume. The 32-piece capsule, which includes furniture, lighting, tableware, textiles, and art, is a natural next move for the multihyphenate creative.
“I’ve been designing for many years through each opportunity provided when launching a new restaurant concept,” Samuelsson explained to AD. “As a chef who values and finds inspiration from the arts, it’s important for me to constantly evolve, and this collaboration has granted me the chance to take my first steps into the lifestyle space.”
To develop the collection’s aesthetic, Samuelsson drew from his Ethiopian roots and Swedish upbringing. “The traditional craft practices, textiles, and rich colors like shades of turmeric and mustard [of Africa] have heavily influenced the collection,” he says. “Nature and the lush countryside [of Scandinavia] informed our minimal approach to design and can be seen in the lightness of materials and clean lines used for the tables and chairs.”
