Tête Studio is a New York-based multi-disciplinary design practice by Laura Yeh and Zach Jenkins. Pulling from their backgrounds in industrial and furniture design, the emerging studio brings an unrestricted creative approach that spans interiors, lighting, and decor, all unified under one aesthetic. The studio’s namesake comes from the French phrase “tête-à-tête”, or to have a private conversation between two people, symbolizing Laura and Zach’s collaborative working relationship.
The Droplet Mirror is a mirrored glass rondel held off from the wall. The form evokes a droplet of water caught on a window pane.
Andrew Joseph: Can you describe your design philosophy in three words?
Laura + Zach: Color, sophistication, fun.
AJ: How do you approach a new design project?
L+Z: Our projects most often start as a moment of inspiration from a detail, a pattern, a form we come across. Something that we connect with and that sparks a ‘what if’ to turn into something bigger.
The Puddle Mirror turns a functional mirror into an artistic statement reminiscent of a water droplet on a puddle.
AJ: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received as a designer?
L+Z: Trust your gut. So often when we design we’ll do a huge exploration before coming back around to the very first sketch or model we made.
AJ: Can you tell us about a project where you had to overcome a design challenge?
L+Z: The Puddle Mirror was much more challenging than we expected. The effect we were after in the glass was really hard to achieve, we had a steep learning curve to make the end result we wanted and the physics of glass meet.
The defining aesthetics of Tête Studio are color, texture, and fun-injected with life but grounded in sophistication.
AJ: How do you stay organized while working on multiple projects?
L+Z: One wall of our studio is floor-to-ceiling corkboard, each project gets a dedicated section of the wall. It’s a great place to collaborate and keep progress visible and top of mind.
AJ: What is your favorite thing about being a designer?
L+Z: Hitting an idea that inspires you, that excitement never gets old.
About the Makers | Laura and Zach are work and life partners and their first project together was designing their Brooklyn loft. Laura comes from the beauty and wellness world, imagining packaging design identities for Glossier, Ritual, and Ilia, while Zach comes from a furniture and lighting background, designing under Hellman-Chang and Pablo Studios.
Like what you see? Get it first with a subscription to aspire design and home magazine.