Walls: Hog Plum No.CB1 in Dead Flat
When our Creative Director, Charlotte Cosby, visited the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art in New York last year, we couldn't have imagined the lengths we would go to to support its unique mission. The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, which began from an exhibition of gay artists hosted by founders Charles Leslie and Fritz Lohman in their SoHo loft in 1969, has grown into the world's only dedicated LGBTQIA+ art museum. It now houses a collection of over 30,000 works by pioneering queer artists such as David Wojnarowicz, David Hockney, Mickalene Thomas, and many others.
Our collaboration with the museum led us to officially join the museum’s Board of Council for Queer Creativity and donate our paint and wallpaper to enhance the backdrop of the museum’s upcoming exhibitions.
Together with Executive Director Alyssa Nitchun, we also redesigned the museum’s offices, incorporating our Carte Blanche collection in collaboration with designer Christopher John Rogers. “I firmly believe that our environments directly influence our creativity,” says Nitchun. “Therefore, alongside all other priorities, there was a desire to create a space that reflects the significance of the work we’re doing."
We caught up with Alyssa to learn more about the project.
Alyssa Nitchun, Executive Director of the Leslie-Lohman museum, in her Shallot painted office
Walls: Hog Plum No.CB1 in Dead Flat and Stripe wallpaper
1. Tell us a bit about the space that’s been refreshed. What is it used for? How does it impact Leslie-Lohman’s work?
When I joined Leslie-Lohman as Executive Director in early 2021, I fell in love with the museum – it's mission, impact, and potential – but the offices…frankly, they were a real visual downer. The redesigned offices are now a space of imagination and creativity for our team who work here and for the artists and museum stakeholders we welcome here in building our vision. The offices also serve as the green room for our public programs and by extension, a space for community gathering. Giving our space new life as a hub that reflects who we are – vibrant, creative, art-focused, and unapologetically queer – supports every facet of our wholly unique work.
2. The space is head to toe Carte Blanche. Why do you think the collection suited this project so well?
Christopher John Rogers speaks our language – chic, bold, fun, celebratory, and very queer! Carte Blanche radiates vibrance all day, every day. Leslie-Lohman is a place of experimentation grounded in history and our connection to Carte Blanche feels like literal kismet. Honestly, I kind of tear up when I see our Lola Flash neon “Your Silence Will Not Protect You” hanging on Dot – it’s perfection.
3. What is your favourite nook of the new offices?
My office! Farrow & Ball took it from a grey-walled claustrophobic glorified closet to a sleek and meditative space of sensuality and strategy. I’ve hung photographs on the walls from the museum’s collection of artists like Mickalene Thomas, JEB, Laurence Philomène, and Tee Corinne. I feel surrounded and inspired by the power and grace of my community and held in this gorgeous wash of warm colour.
Walls: Dot wallpaper
Walls: Romesco No.CB4 in Full Gloss
4. How was your colour consultancy experience?
This partnership was a year in the making – conversations with Charlotte Cosby, the Creative Director at Farrow & Ball, and then with some of the expert Colour Consultants. There were so many different directions we could have gone in and through their deep knowledge, the colour consultancy folks helped us hone in on the right direction – something contemporary but also something that will look good for many years to come.
It’s always helpful to be grounded in expertise; the colour consultancy handholding removes the level of anxiety that can feel overwhelming when you’re trying to make significant design decisions! We collaborated to find the exact colour and wallpaper palettes that honour the museum’s enduring narrative of pushing boundaries in a bold, imaginative, and celebratory way.
5. Often, our colour consultancy service is utilised for residential projects. How did you feel the service suited this type of project?
Because of our relationship with the folks at Farrow & Ball and their investment in Leslie-Lohman, they had a deep understanding of our values as an organisation which they then translated into colour and texture. Because Leslie-Lohman is a museum with a big personality and full of vibrant life, our makeovers will never be corporate or cookie cutter. The colour consultancy service ensured a polished, coherent makeover that was equally as reflective of what makes us unique.
6. Any staff testimonials or reactions to share?
I mean people’s jaws drop with how much they love it. Artists are like, “Oh, can I come and work in the conference room?” Our Director of External Affairs worked in design in a previous life. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her happier than when she walked into the office for the first time post–renovation. We were also able to leverage the extraordinary demonstration of support from Farrow & Ball to bring together a whole host of queer furniture, lighting, and product designers to outfit our space and complete the makeover. In the end, so many people have contributed thanks to their belief in the museum and the generative possibilities of queer creativity.
Farrow & Ball was joined in supporting the museum through a neighborhood council of local retailers and queer-owned brands including EQ3, In Common With, Orior, Beni Rugs, Volker Haug Studio, Two Tree Studios, Roll & Hill, Fyrn, Studio S II, Plantshed, Carl Hansen, Patches, Vy Voi Studio, and Humanscale. Installation by Venetian Walls.