natasha baradaran Archives

Los Angeles-based home brand NATASHA BARADARAN celebrates the 10-year anniversary of its collection with the release of AURA this Fall– the multihyphenate designer’s most personal body of work yet. The 15-piece furniture collection unveils in tandem with two bold moves for the NB brand: with the company taking their manufacturing in-house, and its first flagship showroom located in West Hollywood. Together, Baradaran marks her company’s anniversary with an emphasis on creating a 360-degree brand experience.

AURA is a coming-of-age collection for Natasha Baradaran’s studio, and vibrant homage to LA’s creative spirit, marking a new chapter in the designer’s career with refined messaging for her design studio’s core tenets: a commitment to masterfully handcrafted furniture that blend casual elegance and relaxed sophistication into a coveted Baradaran mood.

In legacy with the creative spirit of matriarchs of Los Angeles furniture manufacturing, such as design icons Sally Sirkin Lewis, Rose Tarlow and Nancy Corzine, whose female-founded studios shaped the foundation for Southern California’s laidback luxury aesthetic, Baradaran follows in their footsteps to open her first manufacturing workshop in downtown Los Angeles, to proudly carry the torch for female-founded LA design brands, upholding traditions of innovation, empowerment, and community. Working together with her design studio, the move allows Baradaran’s teams to design and produce her collections seamlessly, from design-to-production-to-point-of-sale. This commitment affirms NATASHA BARADARAN as a truly vertical, ‘made in LA’ design brand, while ensuring the highest quality standards, supporting local artisans and reducing environmental impact.

As a tour de force year in the making for the illustrious designer, 2024 will also see the opening of Baradaran’s first flagship showroom at 400 Robertson Blvd. in the West Hollywood Design District this Fall. After a successful, year-long ‘NB Shop’ pop-up in the La Cienega Design Quarter, Baradaran’s move establishes the next level for her brand’s experiential trade and retail, as her first monoline NATASHA BARADARAN flagship to show her comprehensive offerings: furniture, lighting, textiles, curated vintage and home accessories that are inspired by Baradaran’s multicultural background, fusing European design traditions, Middle Eastern arts, and the laidback luxury of Southern California living.

Every piece from AURA crystalizes the mood of the brand. A range of plush seating and low- profile tables for lounging, reflect Baradaran’s recognizable casual glamour. Her designs are a true reflection of the Southern California lifestyle, offering timeless, versatile pieces that inspire confidence and dedication to high-quality craftsmanship.

In a time where ‘Iconic’ is overused, attaining ‘Mother’ status has become the ultimate sign of cultural significance. Over the last decade, Baradaran has slowly built a brand that resonates with those who appreciate quality, comfort, and sophistication. At the 10-year mark of her namesake furniture collection, Baradaran evolves from an emerging designer to an established voice in legacy with the creative spirit of matriarchs of Los Angeles furniture manufacturing who inspire us to break the mold, nurturing figures who have helped build LA’s design community, influencing us towards empowerment rather than conspicuous consumption. Baradaran enters a ‘Mother Era’ with a new collection, new workshop, and first flagship showroom to embody the experience of womanhood in design.

Seamless product images are courtesy of Natasha Baradaran

Before we take a tour of Steven’s Morningside Home & his showroom selects…

House shopping wasn’t what I wanted to do that day but I relented. Our realtor drove us around the 100-year-old neighborhood of Morningside “just to see,” and as fate would have it, the very last house caught my eye. The original floor plan was simple: four rooms down, three rooms up, a sun porch on the side, and a sad cinder block addition off the back. The simplicity made sense to me. Was this the one? Walking the perimeter of the house, I studied the foundation looking for any disruptions in the brick. I walked it twice desperate for any excuse to abort. No drops in the line. No cracks in the mortar. The foundation was strong and so, with trepidation and a vision for what could be, we made an offer.

It turned out the house rested on a better foundation than my relationship. In January of 2020, a month before closing, we decided it would be best for me to purchase the house than be upside down on the “designer” upgrades I insisted on. The first few nights of March were restless. Resentful of a mortgage I anticipated to split with a partner and room after room of empty house weighed heavy on me. However, none of it compared to what was coming as a mystery virus gripped us all. School closures followed. Then work closures. And finally, mandatory lockdowns.

Restless nights quickly turned to sleepless nights.

The first few months of the pandemic were scary, but I was lucky. The interiors were far from comfortable, but those yellow brick walls now painted white protected me during those months. This newly renovated 1920’s house quickly became my office, my gym, my bar, my theater, and most fortunately of all, an incubator for a new and great love.

My luck continued as our industry thrived during the pandemic. Over the next two years and with the support of so many vendors, I pieced together a slice of heaven for myself. Rooms stitched together in deep autumnal hues of burnt cinnamon and rust. Walls covered in cherished pieces of art each one worthy yet most worthless. And windows draped in yards and yards of fabric. Slowly we went back to work, back to the gym, back to the bars. Bit by bit, my tiny little house in Morningside became what it was always meant to be – a home.

It’s been five years since I first laid eyes on this house. Personally, these pictures have captured the saddest, strangest, scariest, yet most fulfilling parts of my life until now. Professionally, they will forever memorialize the successes of our small business. I will forever be grateful to our wonderful clients who have supported us and to every one of our vendors who continue to believe in our vision of what a multiline showroom could and should be. And above all, I am grateful to my business partner and best friend, Ryan Hughes. Thank you for including me in your dream to build this beautiful life for ourselves. 2024 starts a new chapter as we set out to open our second location in New York City. And with that, I hope to see you all on Lexington very soon!