Corey Damen Jenkins Tells Us All About His Collab With Kravet Couture
Bold New York interior designer Corey Damen Jenkins teamed up with Kravet Couture to launch Trad Nouveau, a 45-piece collection of textiles embodying his fresh take on traditional design. Through an array of prints, stripes and saturated colorways, it spans plush fabrics, from velvets to jacquards and embroidery. Here, Jenkins shares insights on his design philosophy and how this collection came to be.
What’s the meaning behind the name Trad Nouveau? For me, Trad Nouveau is the tension point where modernity meets antiquity. It’s eclectically exuberant and unapologetic in terms of mixing textures, patterns and colors. It’s not staid—rather, it’s fashion-forward.
Tell us about your creative process for this collection. Kravet and I looked at many different things for inspiration: my hand-drawn sketches, Art Deco architecture in New York and 18th-century archival finds. The collection is versatile and offers multiple applications in the interior space—from furniture and window treatments to wallcoverings and beyond. I can’t wait for the world at large to see what we’ve created.
What advice would you give someone who wants to bring a touch of nouveau to their decor? You can always liven up traditional spaces with judicious accents of modernity. Clean-lined window treatments, throw pillows, bold artwork and unique surface accessories can go a long way in changing a room’s vibe.