DEN x Armando Aguirre

We recently collaborated with Armando Aguirre — an interior designer based in New York City. Prior to establishing his own design practice in early 2023, he worked under Andre Mellone and has been an active member of the New York Design community for nearly a decade. Studio Armando Aguirre focuses on the design of both residential and retail projects, as well as the development of furniture, lighting and objects.

Photo: Emil Cohen

When these two Kagan pieces came into the showroom Jason immediately thought of Armando! We wanted to collaborate with Armando on this restoration specifically as we're constantly inspired by how he uses vintage pieces and chooses their fabrics. We were excited to work with Armando to see what his vision for these pieces would become. Jason already loves the restoration process of seeing a piece transform from begining to end becasue its a very rewarding process. In this case the result was classic yet contemporary elegance.

DEN: What is it about Kagan's designs that you admire and how did that play into your fabric selections?
Armando: The organic forms of Kagan's designs allow them to exist in a variety of spaces -- Deco, International, contemporary -- and always look/feel correct. His subtle use of mixed materials (like the acrylic leg on the well-known Serpentine Sofa) is always clever but never distracting. In the case of this sofa, I thought contrasting fabrics, in combination with the wood legs, would be an interesting way to highlight the beautiful shape and construction of the piece.

DEN: What design eras inspire you?

Armando: I'm most inspired by mid-to-early 20th Century design. Creators and interiors from the Art Deco, Bauhaus, and Midcentury periods contain some of (what I feel are) the best examples of simple and effective living -- ideas and concepts that very much apply to our contemporary lives now.