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Jonathan Cohen founded his fashion line in 2011 out of his Brooklyn living room. Yet, even while launching a company, he says, “I didn’t spend as much time in it as I do now.”
The designer isn’t exaggerating. A few of the select yet activities he does in his Williamsburg living room during this pandemic age: make coffee, answer emails, work out, sketch, drape, cook, and take “zoom after zoom call.”
As a result, it’s paramount that his space remains a sanctuary. “It’s important that it continuously inspires me. It needs to be functional for work, but also a place I can dream so that I can create,” he says. (So far, it seems like its working well—First Lady Jill Biden wore one of this designs on the eve of her husband s inauguration.)
Scattered around are his sketchbooks, fabric samples, and pieces from his previous collections. (You’ll notice that a sparkly, signature pair of his Swarovski-encrusted Doc Marten boots double as vases, and that pillows are made from old Jonathan Cohen prints.) “Since the brand has really become known for repurposing our fabric remnants and ‘up-cycling’ a lot of people ask me if that seeps into my life. The answer is yes,” Cohen says. One of his tables, for example, is made of old boat parts he had crafted together.
There’s a lot of color and texture, which is typical Cohen. (“Jonathan Cohen has become so known for his hand-drawn prints and custom jacquards that many of his fans can recall the exact season a fabric was introduced,” Vogue’s Emily Farra wrote of his fall 2020 collection.) This stylistic choice ended up being one for sanity as well: “It keeps my mood up,” he says. “Whether it be our pillows, a knitted blanket made from fabric remnants, or framed textile, I find it important to keep the space both colorful and optimistic.”
His shelves are dotted with paintings from young artists. One of his favorites? An illustration of David Bowie by Justin Teodoro. “It really brings me joy,” he says.
Books are another paramount part of his curated collection. Lying around he has Walter De Maria: The Lightning Field as well as Kimberly Drew’s Black Futures and This is What I Know About Art. (Cohen calls Drew a “incredible human.”)
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But perhaps his favorite thing about his living room is the simplest: its light. From his window, he can see a glimpse of Manhattan. “During quarantine that has really been a savior,” he admits. “I love watching the sun set over the city.” Plus, it reminds him one of a silver lining that comes with his combination work, live, and play space—“no commute.”
Below, shop products inspired by Jonathan Cohen s living room.
