A dear friend brought me a leather pouch to the office, which was her way of introducing me to Alexander Lamont. At the time I only represented fabric manufacturers, not furniture brands. She opened up the pouch and all I saw were these finishes: straw marquetry, parchment, shagreen, gesso, eggshell, and bronze. I just thought they were the most incredible materials I’d ever encountered. I said yes before I’d even seen a single design. Fifteen years in, there’s still so much creativity to be had with these materials.

Alex, he’s a perfectionist. Whether it takes the form of a coffee table, credenza, or floor lamp is almost incidental; the true artistry lies in the skilled and often painstaking treatment of these rich, raw materials.