Christian Siriano's Debut Furniture Collection is a Mid-Century Dream
The fashion designer has pivoted into interiors, and the results are incredibly chic.
Christian Siriano has come a long way since becoming Project Runway's youngest winner. The CFDA fashion designer has gone on to create looks for Michelle Obama, Angelina Jolie, Lady Gaga, and Amy Adams, to name a few. His playful designs have caused quite the stir on both runways and red carpets—for example, the tuxedo dress Billy Porter wore to the 2019 Oscars—and now Siriano is ready to bring his eye for design to interiors.
Last month, Siriano launched his first collection of furniture on 1st Dibs, a curated marketplace for vintage and contemporary furniture, decor, and accessories. The pieces, which range from sculptural stools and coffee tables to plush bouclé-covered chairs and settees, are a departure from Siriano's colorful fashion signatures, yet still maintain a sense of ease
"I don’t think the dusty library look is the vibe right now," Siriano tells L'OFFICIEL. "I am into this lifestyle that’s a little more relaxed and easy—it’s not stuffy, glamorous living."
Here, Siriano speaks with L'OFFICIEL on becoming an interior designer, what he thinks of the vintage furniture trend, and his inspirations.
L’OFFICIEL: How did this partnership with 1st Dibs come about?
Christian Siriano: I’m a huge 1st Dibs customer—I look at furniture on there every day and my cart is very full—and I felt like I wanted to collaborate with a place that understands the furniture collection’s quality and the craft behind it, and would also treat it just as important as a couture gown. It was important for me to find a retailer that would give it that same love and attention, and I feel like that’s what they do.
L’O: What were your inspirations when designing your furniture collection?
CS: The whole idea behind the collection were the shapes and silhouettes that I’ve done in the past in clothing, so I had some archive gowns that we’ve done, and my little Lily stool was inspired by gum drops, which was my favorite candy growing up. I wanted it to feel like you could tell that a fashion designer created these pieces—some of the furniture even looks like people wearing dresses.
L’O: What inspired your transition from fashion into interior design?
CS: I think it’s my love for textiles, and heritage, and art—I’m a big art lover, all I do is buy art now because I really enjoy seeing the work of all these other creatives. Looking at furniture from the ‘50s and ‘60s, you can see how much love and talent went into it, and that is very inspiring for me.
I think of it similarly to how I do music. The genres you listen to throughout your life will have their moments, whether it’s pop or punk rock or EDM, and it just changes over time. I think now people are wanting to make their homes a beautiful space they feel good in. There’s a reason why paintings can go for $100 million; they make you feel something. They are emotional without saying anything, and I think clothes are the same. That in itself is a very beautiful thing, especially in a world where everything is hard.
L’O: How would you describe your taste in furniture and interiors?
CS: As a fashion designer, I create things that are colorful and have volume and texture, but I go the complete opposite in interiors because I feel like the home should be more palate-cleansing. So I’m more interested in a modern, clean, neutral look, and having pieces that feel more like art and sculpture.
L’O: How do you take your fashion design experience into account when designing a room or piece of furniture?
CS: I work very similarly to when I’m building a dress: I sketch the furniture, play with the fabric, mold a piece of fabric over a piece of wood. We also do our own production, which is something I used to do with clothing so it’s very familiar to me.
On the flip side, obviously this is new for me. I love working on interiors, but I’m still learning and I’m really approaching it from the angle of being very excited and curious. It makes me feel really good when I get to pick out lamps for someone. I don’t know why, but it does!
L’O: Your furniture is very soft-feeling, with lots of curves and plush upholstery.
CS: Because the furniture is more sculptural, I wanted it to still feel comfortable. That’s why we used bouclés and tweeds because I didn’t want people to feel like they can’t sit on this furniture!
As a fashion designer, I create things that are colorful and have volume and texture, but I go the complete opposite in interiors.
L’O: What do you make of the current vintage and post-modern furniture trend?
CS: I think vintage furniture is having a moment because it’s more instant. You can just get it, whereas manufactured furniture takes a long time. It became a trend in the way that there is a new It bag or dress silhouette, which is so interesting. We’ve never seen this before in furniture. We also haven’t seen people sharing their homes this much. You didn’t know where people lived for a very long time, whether that was celebrities or acquaintances. In this moment, people are more excited to show off this part of their creativity.
L’O: Do you think furniture and interiors will continue to have more distinct trends similar to fashion?
CS: I do! I think it’s going to become a part of people’s brand or vision. Instead of the new sneaker, it’ll be all about the new chair.
