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THE JOY OF MUSIC

"I love people who can integrate music and words like we try to do with architecture, interiors and landscapes," says Mindel of friend and lyricist, the late Betty Comden. Here he reenacts Singin' in the Rain, which Comden co-wrote with Adolph Green. Learing that no memorial was planned for her, Mindel took it upon himself to organize one with lyricist David Zipple and Composer Craig Urquhart of the Leonard Bernstein estate. It will be held at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on September 18.

Dior by Hedi Slimane jeans; Prada pullover; Ikepod by Marc Newson watch; Joseph Fenestrier shoes. B&B Italia sofa; Cedric Hartman reading lamp; Shelton, Mindel & Assoc. glass cocktail table and leather chairs; Poul Kjaerholm chaise; Primavera tan vase.

The Democracy of Design

“Some other countries can be ethnocentric, but here we’re free to bring together objects, to celebrate various cultures,” explains Mindel. The collection in Mindel’s stunningly serene living room could be called a who’s who of modern design—the chaise by Danish designer Poul Kjaerholm, the American Knoll cocktail table, the French bookcase by Charlotte Perriand. For some, the idea of combining these strong pieces would be daunting. Not for Mindel. “Most of the things in here are by people who developed a singular voice. They hold up to each other.” Two other factors also unify them: scale and palette. “This room is about the city, the landscape of the city continuing indoors.” Objects in the room vary in height, as do the buildings outside, and their colors mimic that outdoor panorama—buff, beige, greige, silver, and black.

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Passions: Lee Mindel

Creating Privacy

“Even though we’re making art, this is a service business. The only place I get to be really alone is in bed.” Mindel believes in creating a sumptuous refuge—both in his own room and his guest room. It starts with a handmade, Swedish pine and cotton Duxiana mattress, then down pillows, and finally, soft European cotton sheets.

Manipulating the Image

“Sometimes to capture something that you’re feeling and find a way to record it is the greatest gift you can give people.” For Mindel, taking pictures and organizing them in his computer is almost a way of physically processing his experiences. His Apple laptop is filled with slideshows—trips to the Kjaerholm house on the North Sea, Windsor Castle in England, Romanian architecture. He snaps the photos while traveling, then, back home, arranges them with a soundtrack—everything from Petula Clark to Christina Aguilera—and shares them with friends. “You get to animate it and make more of the moment and the memory.”

Delineation of Space

In the living room, with its beautiful views and carefully chosen objects, Mindel needed a floor covering that provided structure without detracting from the action. “The floors had to be flat and simple—we couldn’t have fluffy.” When Mindel couldn’t find the rug he needed, he went to the renowned rugmaker V’Soske and worked with them to make exactly what he wanted. “We took the cotton matting that rugs are usually backed in and we just coated it with latex.” The beige minimal rug works almost like a canvas, delineating the space and unifying the objects in a subtle composition.

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Passions: Lee Mindel

A Love of Light

Mindel’s top-floor penthouse is lined with windows facing all directions, and drenched in sunlight. But he doesn’t limit his appreciation to the natural source. “Light, to me, can manifest in many ways: the light from sun, light from a person, the light from tungsten bulbs, from halogen bulbs.” The lamp by Georges Jouve in the entryway is left purposely without a shade. “I just love the exposed bare bulb. The composition is about the form that holds the bulb. Something made by man—the lamp—and something made by machine—the bulb. I like that juxtaposition.”

Indoor & Outdoor Space

“In the city, light and air are the hardest things to get, so you want to find a way to bring in as much as possible,” says Mindel. But you don’t always want to look at the city views—sometimes something a little more peaceful is in order. This room offers an intimate view of (and access to) a terrace garden. “You can sit here and watch the trees blowing in the wind, the ivy coming out, and flowers growing in the planters.”

Downstairs, Mindel’s views are of the urban garden—the frenetic metropolis—whereas upstairs one looks at soft, quiet, natural forms. “The two spaces integrate indoors and outdoors in very different ways. When people come over, I love going up there.”

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Passions: Lee Mindel

Architect of Furniture

Mindel holds a prototype three-legged aluminum chair by Poul Kjaerholm, the mid-century Danish designer who took the machine-centric mantra of the International Style and imprinted it with a human touch. The lightweight piece is made of metal, but its sinuous lines give it astonishing grace and make it a comfortable seat—rare for a chair from this period. “Kjaerholm came from the boatbuilders’ and cabinetmakers’ guilds, so he could make steel almost look like an organic material; he combined it with wicker and leather to make it personal and livable.” Kjaerholm pieces have a sculptural presence and can bring surprising warmth to a modernist space, making them extremely useful objects—ones that dwell halfway between art and furniture.

Collaboration

“The guy that I get my coffee from every morning is so open. Something happens there—it’s a kind of intimacy that we don’t talk about but that makes me feel better.

“Collaboration is about the kind of interchange you have on every level. On my own, I’m not really so good. With great people, you get to share ideas and go places you could never go intellectually. I worked with Reed Morrison on my loft, and without him, I couldn’t have done this. Every time I work with my team, at the office, I learn something, and that’s what keeps things fresh.”

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