Jordan Mozer Makes Magic in His Chicago Studio

He has been described as an artist, a poet, and a maker of magic. Add “storyteller” to that list, and you would only scratch the surface. He takes clever to a new level.

Jordan Mozer earned degrees in product __design and architecture at the University of Illinois only after first studying painting, sculpture, English literature, and fashion, all of which influence the work of Jordan Mozer & Associates. Just as he personally defies categorization, so do the buildings, interiors, furnishings, and artwork that the firm creates for such clients as Barneys New York, Disney, Lettuce Entertain You, Marriott International, and Universal Studios, not to mention the Rolling Stones. Stop by the Chicago studio in a 1903 converted furniture factory, and you will see how he and his staff, accompanied by office mascot Clemente the Pig, together develop designs unlike any others. You might be invited to sit on the Barre stool wittily designed, featuring “toe shoes” and “leg warmers,” for New York’s Iridium jazz club. He might also show you a sculpture of hearts interlocking, a romantic yin and yang in 3-D.

“We __design and manufacture all components from scratch, using local materials, to create immersive experiences that connect our clients’ goals to a contemporary mythology,” he says. The great Chicago fire of 1871 was the reference for Oak + Char’s charred Douglas fir wall panels and pendant fixtures shaped like clouds of smoke. In a Minneapolis suburb not far from the Mayo Clinic, 35,000 test tubes form the chandeliers at Copper Bleu. The big bang inspired a door pull for the Stars restaurant in Frankfurt. Once a restaurant or a hotel opens, he adds, “I love to sit in the corner and watch how people react.”

He’s hoping that those reactions transform into online purchases in November, when the furniture and accessories that have graced his high-end hospitality spaces become available on mozer.com.

> See more from the October 2016 issue of Interior Design