Arielle Assouline-Lichten is an artist and multidisciplinary designer known for her fascination with materiality, ephemerality, and form. She is the founder of Slash Objects, a New York-based design studio that reimagines overlooked source materials into minimalist designs, revealing the interplay between the natural world and man-made processes. Arielle’s work, driven by a passion for transforming human experiences through design, challenges material consumption and waste production while encouraging a custodial approach to ownership using long-lasting and sustainable materials. With a background in architecture and critical theory, she has garnered recognition for her activism and design work, and her award-winning studio’s innovative creations strive to create a better world through thoughtful and captivating design. Learn more about Arielle in today’s Maker Monday.
The Coexist Floor Lamp is a harmonious contemporary statement piece that merges sophistication and sustainability.
Andrew Joseph: If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why?
Arielle Assouline-Lichten: I would definitely be a bird and fly around all happy and chirping and start each day without a care in the world.
AJ: What makes you angry?
AAL: Waste. I really hate to see perfectly good resources get wasted for no good reason.
The Coexist Standing Mirror brings the intersection of glass with the richness of the stone base. The mirror is able to be assembled with no hardware – just pieces fitting together like a puzzle.
AJ: What’s your favorite cocktail?
AAL: Dirty martini (vodka – gray goose preferably). There is nothing like a crisp martini that goes down real smooth. I just had a delicious one at The Nines.
AJ: What would your dream project or dream client be right now?
AAL: I would love to work with a fashion brand to design an experiential project – Fendi does really exciting work in design and it would be an incredible honor to be able to collaborate with a luxury brand like that.
The Adri Chair is a unique statement chair merging timeless materials with brass hardware, elegantly connecting two marble slabs to hold the sling seat in place.
AJ: What was your first job?
AAL: I was a graphic design intern at an independent record label run out of the owner’s apartment. I would sit at his bedroom desk and work on band artwork for shows and promos. I loved it.
AJ: What are some of the podcasts you listen to and why?
AAL: I love listening to How I Built This with Guy Roz. It’s super inspiring to hear other entrepreneurs overcome hurdles and prosper – especially when I’m facing a difficult time and feel like my own business is in peril. Those stores always give me a boost of energy and confidence to keep going and to figure any challenge out.
About the Maker | Slash Objects is an award-winning design studio based in New York. The work is rooted in a fascination with materials and how they are brought together. Using unexpected juxtapositions and thoughtful design, they create beautiful pieces that transform the way people experience the world. Their process begins in the material, with an interest in exposing the very tactile nature of making, while creating pure forms bound together by geometry and precision. The materials we use are recycled and long-lasting, breathing new life cycles into materials otherwise relegated to waste. We believe that thoughtful design leads to a better world.
Slash Objects has been published in AD Magazine, Elle Decor, Vogue, The New York Times, Wallpaper, Domino, Harpers Bazaar, and more.
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