Maker Monday: An ASPIRE Exclusive Interview With Moses Nadel

Kelly Walters

6 years ago

Specializing primarily in leather goods, Lara and Moses Nadel have created innovative, modern, and versatile pieces in the form of home furnishings and personal accessories. Since meeting in 2012, the dynamic design duo has worked on many residential and commercial spaces such as, 1 Hotel: Brooklyn Bridge, and many of Nicole Watts’ interior designs for luxury homes. All of their designs are made for versatility to help instill a deep connection between you and a well-curated lifestyle. Take a look at their range in shapes, finishes, and sizes as I welcome this week’s Maker Monday, Lara and Moses Nadel.

Andrew Joseph: Describe your design style as if you were explaining it to someone who cannot see.
Lara & Moses Nadel: Our work is primarily based in leather and is bold and finely detailed with a combination of precision and abstraction. We focus a lot on shapes in their purest forms: squares, circles, triangles, pentagons, and also explore how other shapes fit together with repetition: geometric weaving and braiding — the architecture of geometry, craft, and product design. Husband and wife design-duo have paired their skills and passion with jewelry, metal, and leather goods to create a unique collection of accessories, small upholstery pieces, and hanging wall tapestries. The growing offerings are the very definition of bespoke.

Andrew: What are your ideal weekend plans?
Lara & Moses: A classic pandemic free walk-about weekend in NYC – being able to watch life and culture whip-by walking, eating, shopping, art-ing, and urban exploring with nothing standing in the way or fear of the unknown.

New York is magic, and discoveries are around every corner, it’s what makes the city unique in the world. The people, sights, food, and mix of cultures. You never know what lays ahead.

Andrew: What’s your design pet peeve?
Lara & Moses: Nothing rubs us the wrong way more than a disregard for technique, knowledge, longevity, quality, and worst of all, sloppy details.

Andrew: What’s something you always travel with?
Lara & Moses: We always travel with our own versions of the Bandelier Backpack. We designed it and made it to be the perfect unisex carry-all.

Andrew: How would you describe your personal style?
Moses: Utilitarian, with a twist of Zappa, a squeeze of Neil Young.

Lara: Thrift store magic with a hint of Saturday Night Fever, an edge of eclectic street style with Soho-esque finishing’s.

Andrew: What are you most proud of?
Moses: I’m most proud of what we make. I’m always so proud of how ideas evolve from concept through evolution.

Lara: I’m proud of any day we get through without an epic battle and the inevitable clash of work, meets love, meets family, meets living, meets working together.

Andrew: Best advice you’d give your teenage self?
Lara & Moses: Learn to meditate!

About The Makers | Lara Nadel was born in New York and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a fine arts degree. She began her post graduate work in an array of creative fields including advertising, costume design, styling and accessories design all while running her own successful jewelry company in Manhattan. In 2012, on a visit to a gallery where she was selling her work in Hudson, NY, she came across a series of handbags showcased and was anxious to meet the designer. The following day, a studio visit was the turning point of a lifelong work and business relationship with her now husband, Moses Nadel. Together they decided to hone their skill sets and created the brand; Moses Nadel. “I chose to name the company Moses Nadel for numerous reasons. Nadel means needle in German so it couldn’t be more apropos. Moses is a very strong name. I liked that. Also, I had a deep inclination that soon enough I would be joining the Nadel tribe.” They opened a bespoke makers workshop where they designed and crafted all of their products to order in Bushwick, NY. Recently, they relocated to Sea Cliff, a small coastal town on the north shore of Long Island where they have recreated their atelier with a small team of local artisans who continue to tailor make every item one at a time. “Over the years the brand has matured and evolved in many unexpected ways. We started to work together creating leather and metal accessories and now we specialize in our own branded collection as well as luxury custom home interior products.”

Andrew Joseph is a regular contributing editor for ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME magazine. See more of his work here.

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