Maker Monday: An aspire Exclusive Interview With Virginia Sin

Virginia Sin is a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary designer and the creative force behind SIN, a home goods brand rooted in timeless form and functional beauty. In 2006, she left Los Angeles for Brooklyn, determined to carve out a creative path on her own terms. A year later, she launched The Gluttony Collection, which earned “Most Sustainable” in the Modern+Design+Function competition and was later acquired by The New-York Historical Society Museum. For over a decade, Virginia worked in advertising while growing SIN on the side — spending nights and weekends in her Greenpoint studio, refining her voice and building a brand from the ground up. In 2016, she took the leap and made SIN her full-time focus. Her work now spans functional sculpture, lighting, and decor — from tabletop to kitchen and dining — all handcrafted with a signature warmth and restraint. At the heart of SIN is a mission that’s personal: to bring warmth, delight and a sense of comfort into people’s homes — values that hold deep meaning for Virginia. Every piece is a quiet offering — made to last, made to feel and made to belong. See how Virginia Sin turns functional design into quiet poetry in today’s Maker Monday.

The Gami Collection bends expectations — where delicate folds inspired by paper take shape in clay, creating lighting that feels both fluid and grounded.

Andrew Joseph: What inspired you to become a designer?
Virginia Sin: A childhood obsession with rearranging my bedroom furniture weekly — and not for feng shui reasons, just vibes. I grew up craving beauty and comfort in a space that lacked both. Design became my quiet rebellion. I didn’t know it back then, but I was carving out a sense of control and self-expression with every tiny makeover. That instinct still drives me today.

AJ: Can you describe your design philosophy in three words?
VS: Intentional. Honest. Warm. (And if I get a bonus word: Human.)

With nods to ancient obelisks and a sleek, future-forward form, the OBEL Collection bridges time, bringing sculptural history into the now.

AJ: What’s your design pet peeve?
VS: When everything looks like it came from the same algorithm. Let’s retire the word elevated and bring back weird, soulful, slightly wobbly charm.

AJ: If you weren’t a designer, what would you be and why?
VS: A therapist, hands down. I love people — talking to them, figuring out what they need, and seeing if I can help them feel a little more okay in their own skin. Turns out design and therapy aren’t so different: both are about creating spaces that feel safe, expressive and yours.

A sculptural study in tension and rhythm, the Stria 3 Sconce takes inspiration from the ancient, cross-cultural practice of weaving.

AJ: Best advice you’d give your teenage self?
VS: Yes, you’re awkward. Yes, you feel invisible. No, that’s not a glitch — it’s your origin story. Hang tight, teenage me. One day, you’ll make a career out of not fitting in.

Headshot photography by Sharon Radisch.

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