Light, Soul and Structure: Lenny Kravitz and CB2’s Study in Modern Warmth
The 62-piece collection uses natural materials and textures to effortlessly connect with the landscape
When Lenny Kravitz designs, he doesn’t just make furniture, he builds a feeling. His latest collaboration with CB2, nearly ten years into their creative partnership, reflects that same energy: soulful, architectural and timelessly modern. The 62-piece collection, spanning lighting, furniture and textiles, feels like an echo of Kravitz’s dual worlds, shaped by the warmth of Brazil and the elegance of Paris.
“Being a rockstar is definitely a unique point of view,” says Sara Khodja, CB2’s Senior Director of Furniture Design & Development. “But beyond that, Lenny’s perspective always has a mix of soulfulness and elegance. There’s always an element of something natural—either the color palette or the materials themselves—but executed in a way that is really elegant and unexpected.”
That interplay between nature and sophistication defines the collection, a visual rhythm that moves through materials, tones and forms. “It really comes down to creating a vibe,” Khodja says. “Lenny always approaches each collection with a vibe deck that shows the overall vision—from mood and environment to design language. The materials, textures and colors all relate back to that energy.”
A Study in Balance
At the heart of the collaboration is the Nagara lighting series, a poetic meditation on contrast. “Modern design, at its best, isn’t about minimalism, it’s about clarity,” says Andrea Erman, CB2’s Senior Director of Design & Development for Housewares. “When you strip away the noise, what’s left should still make you feel something.”
The Nagara lights explore that exact philosophy, a balance between structure and softness, light and grounding, restraint and warmth. “The series began as a conversation about how light can feel—how it moves through a space and changes your emotional response to it,” Erman explains. “From the start, the Kravitz Design team and CB2 wanted to create something that felt architectural but also deeply human.”
Inspired by Japanese serenity and California openness, each piece merges delicate rice paper with clean steel framing and grounded marble bases. “The idea of rice paper held within a strong, clean steel frame became a metaphor for balance,” Erman says. “Structure and softness, light and grounding—it’s what the whole collection stands for.”
The Art of Light
Erman’s view on lighting extends beyond design, it’s emotional architecture. “Lighting is as much about what you don’t see—the shadows, the quiet moments, the way it shapes a wall—as it is about the object itself,” she says. “The form has to have presence, but it can’t overpower the emotion it creates.”
That emotional clarity echoes the collection’s roots in International Style and California modernism. “Both of those design languages value honesty: honesty in materials, proportion and the relationship between inside and out,” says Erman. “The lighting has an architectural clarity, but there’s nothing cold about it. It feels open, livable and connected to the landscape, even when it’s indoors.”
Craft Meets Culture
While CB2 operates at scale, craftsmanship remains the throughline. “We partner with incredible manufacturers and craftspeople all over the world who are able to manufacture at scale, rather than in a workshop focused on one-offs,” Khodja explains. “In doing this, we’re able to ensure consistency and benefit from economies of scale without sacrificing quality.”
That pursuit of authenticity extends to every texture. “The rice paper softens the light in a soulful way, while the bent steel provides precision and strength,” says Erman. “The marble grounds it—it’s the quiet anchor. The beauty comes from how these materials play off each other; they’re opposites that create harmony.”
Pushing those material boundaries is part of what keeps CB2’s work from feeling trend-driven. “When something is novel, it’s always challenging because it isn’t common—be it a manufacturing technique like tufting on the upholstery or the unique stones used on the tables,” Khodja says. “But we’re used to pushing boundaries at CB2, and our partners love the challenge as much as we do.”
Timelessness, Not Trend
For both Kravitz and the CB2 team, timelessness doesn’t mean static, it means design that resonates beyond aesthetics. “Editing was about rhythm—how each piece spoke to the next and how they formed a complete story together,” says Erman. “Kravitz Design has such an instinct for energy and balance, so our collaboration was about paring back until everything felt cohesive and intentional.”
The result is a collection that feels emotionally grounded, quietly luxurious and deeply human. “I hope people feel the soulfulness of this collection,” says Khodja. “That it’s rooted in design, culture, and natural materials—elevated and thoughtfully designed, yet approachable and functional.”
Erman puts it simply: “The lighting carries the emotional tone of the collection, it’s what connects the materiality and the mood.”
Like the man behind it, the Lenny Kravitz x CB2 collection is a composition of opposites: structured yet sensual, modern yet timeless, global yet deeply personal. It doesn’t just light a room, it changes how it feels to live inside it.
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