Interior designer Nina Magon launches a new lighting collection designer in collaboration with designer lighting company STUDIO•M ... and the result is electrifying.
words: Robin Hodes
photos courtesy of Nina Magon Studio
photo: Julie Soefer
Before I introduce you to a new lighting collection that really turns me on, let me introduce you to one of my "design crushes": Nina Magon, founder and principal of Nina Magon Studio. Globally recognized and adored, Nina's aesthetic is edgy and daring, bold and refined, and consistently forward thinking. And under the creative direction of the interior design luminary (whose headquarters in Houston, TX is now expanding to San Francisco, CA) luxurious residential, commercial, and hospitality projects come to life - tantalizing the senses, inspiring awe, and capturing the attention of design aficionados everywhere... myself included.
photo: Julie Soefer
I first met Nina earlier this year at the fourth iteration of the Kips Bay Palm Beach Decorator Show House, where notable designers from around the country are enlisted, year after year, to lend their creative talents for a great cause. Each is tasked with imagining and executing his or her own vision for one room or space of a designated home, and then, the public is invited to come inside to wander, ogle, and glean interior design inspiration.
photo: Sargent Architectural Photography
As a member of the media, I had the privilege of previewing the Show House and the pleasure of a private chat with the designer behind each exciting room/space. Nina Magon's contribution - a deco-esque, feminine-modern wonderland dubbed "Camera Da Letto Della Contessa" (The Countess's Bedroom) - showcased Nina's extraordinary gifts. And the pretty pink "bow" on top was our first glimpse of the exciting collab between Nina Magon and STUDIO•M - a sought-after designer lighting brand and division of Maxim Lighting, a go-to for the design trade and its discerning clientele. The deliberately over-scaled chandelier, custom-finished to match the tawny pink Benjamin Moore paint color Nina had specified for the walls, was the pièce de résistance that had design editors like me wondering: what will she think of next?
"That was the first introduction to the new lighting collection with STUDIO•M," explains Magon. "It could have been a huge flop or a huge success. Luckily, it was a huge success, because putting a 6-foot circular chandelier in an 8' x 10' bedroom was pretty daring. But I think it definitely worked."
She's right. It did. And so does what follows.
ZEPPELIN hanging fixture by Nina Magon x STUDIO•M
Flash-forward: The designer is about to achieve liftoff with the launch of Nina Magon x STUDIO•M, a new lighting collection that captures the essence of Nina's "bold, daring, and refined" aesthetic with eight groups, 64 pieces, and five finishes (with additional custom finishes available upon request) - all of which were inspired by precious metals and fine jewels.
"How do I make my earrings into a chandelier? Or, how do we do something very uniquely different?" poses Magon. "That's why the tagline of the collection is 'Lighting as Exquisite as Fine Jewels'. Because we wanted it to be related to luxury."
ALINA sconce by Nina Magon x STUDIO•M
Nina's brand collaborations with larger companies - such as her existing furniture collection with Universal Furniture and wallpaper collection with Wall&decò - offer an added benefit. "They have large factories they work with, or are their own factories, so they are able to really bring those price points down while still creating a very luxury product."
sconce from the STONEWALL collection
Nina Magon Studio as a design firm is strictly "luxury"... but her designer lighting collection brings the Nina Magon signature aesthetic into reach for those beyond her elite clientele. "Creating these pieces that are available to the public - so it can have a Nina Magon piece at an affordable price - is kind of what our forte has become," explains Magon. "It's that affordable luxury that I feel like everyone is looking for these days."
Nina Magon x STUDIO•M will officially launch at High Point Market this fall, but here's a sneak peek at a few of my editor's picks:
ceiling light from the CONTOUR collection
sconce from the MEGALITH collection
hanging fixture from the STRATUM collection
pendant light from the STITCHED collection
wall light from the STONEWALL collection
chandelier from the CONTOUR collection
And here's my recent interview with the designer herself:
I'm confident that after you watch it, Nina Magon will become one of your "design crushes"... just as she is mine.
photo: Omar Ramos
For more information on Nina Magon Studio, visit: ninamagon.com
For more information on STUDIO•M, visit: studiomlighting.com
