By: Haley Bosselman By: Haley Bosselman | November 14, 2022 | Home & Real Estate,
Twin brothers Jordan and Steven Neman emerged from lockdown with a home decor and furniture design company to launch. Debuting in October 2021, House of Leon came from the Neman’s desire to help their friends and family fill their homes with pieces that were stylish and affordable. In that time, the Los Angeles-based duo have already made their way to a third collection, which has included the recent releases of the Delphina Sculpture Candle, Ojai Pedestal, Face Vase, Shinto Dining Chairs, Teddy Counter Stool, Teddy Bench and the Ojai Side Table.
As the Nemans head into year two, they opened up to Angeleno about House of Leon, the importance of style and what home design trends you should get ready to implement in your own space.
It’s all in the name— why call your company House of Leon?
JN: Well for starters, our dad's name is Léon. So while it is a tribute to him as an incredibly hard-working father and husband, it also serves the purpose of giving the brand an identity. We felt that using a name, especially one as strong as Leon, provided the opportunity to build a personality behind the brand. We added "House of" as it alludes to the home space we'd be working in, but more importantly, it references the idea of a fashion house. Fashion houses, like Balenciaga, Prada and Chanel for example, have a cultural impact through their creative work. They prioritize design and creativity and we felt that it was time to channel that same energy into the home space, but at an attainable price point.
To us, House of Leon is the intersection of hard work, design and self-expression for the home.
House of Leon fills a gap in the industry: you don’t forgo design and self expression just to ensure utility and affordability. When decorating your home, why is style just as important as practicality?
JN: What was obvious to interior designers pre-pandemic and now universally understood is the importance of building a home space that you resonate with. Creating a space that positively impacts how you feel on a day to day basis is no longer undervalued. And, as modern architecture leads to the creation of stark minimalist spaces, the importance of interior design aesthetics becomes all the more important.
We have a saying at House of Leon that "minimalism has become the death of detail." We consider that when designing our pieces, ensuring that the materials used speak to minimalist designs, but that we also add detail whenever we see the opportunity to do so. Practicality and function can only take you so far. It's the style and ambiance of a space that really evoke an emotion or feeling.
You are based in Los Angeles. Does the city inspire your company’s approach to design?
SN: Los Angeles as a city is an amazing place to live. The laid back lifestyle of Angelenos is envied across the world and one that we weave into any piece we can. However, it's California as a whole that presents a landscape that influences our designs. It’s in the mountain ranges, rivers and beach towns where we pull inspiration from, a lot of which was found in our initial Ojai Collection.
You work with a family-owned atelier in Turkey. Can you tell us more about that partnership and how it furthers House of Leon’s mission?
SN: We've been very fortunate to find this carpentry team in Istanbul. It's been a dream to work with a team that has had the skills of woodworking passed down from generation to generation. We're using materials so differently than large retail manufacturers as the knowledge is coming from generations of learning rather than standard manufacturing facilities. However, it has had its cons as well. As House of Leon has grown, our team has had to learn with us and it has definitely involved time and patience to get things on the right path. That being said, we're committed to continuing to work with a team that saw our vision from the start and took a chance on us. This family will be a part of this company for this entire journey.
How does being twins benefit your roles as business partners and co-creatives?
JN: While we are twins, we're actually quite different. These past two years working together has shown us that our skill sets vary. Steven is better suited to be the CEO of the company managing the operations and logistics of the business, while I have taken on the role of creative director. Everything you see, I am in charge of, and everything you don't see that makes this business run, is Steven's doing.
Our working relationship is quite interesting. We have a very similar thought process so it makes for an easy journey to achieve our goals for House of Leon, as we're unified in most of our foundational beliefs. However, on a day-to-day basis, we can disagree quite frequently. It's always on the little things and we always quickly return to our grounding relationship as twin brothers.
House of Leon recently had its one-year anniversary. What are you most proud of about your first year?
SN: We're not sure if it's one specific thing we're most proud of or all the little things that seemed impossible, but we were able to figure out along the way. There were so many days towards the beginning where we looked at each other and just said, "How on earth are we going to do that?" So to get this far and already be considered a major player in the furniture space feels really great.
In addition, we're really proud of the unique designs we've been able to introduce thus far and we're even more excited about the pieces we're working on and introducing in the new year!
What home decor and furniture design trends do you think will be popular in the upcoming year?
JN: It's pretty understood that there is going to be a response to the neutral trend that's taken over design. A completely neutral color scheme will be popular for a few more years to come, but it no longer offers the excitement it once did. Introducing colors, mineral or earth tones, will definitely be a popular trend for the new year.
Whether this happens in the next year or the following, we're undecided, but we believe lighting will take center stage in a certain way. As people design and build their dream homes, they'll come to learn the importance of ambient lighting and the role it plays in giving a space a feeling. We believe lighting will become more sculptural with mixed materials incorporated into the
What is your next big project?
SN: We're very excited to be opening our first store in Los Angeles in January of 2023! We're also going to be introducing our next outdoor collection this coming spring. Follow along with us on Instagram at @houseofleon for more details and product releases!
See also: 6 Trendy Fall Items To Cozy Up Your Kitchen
Photography by: Courtesy House of Leon