This is Welcome Mat: A series in which we visit the homes of friends in our community.

February 28, 2023 / By Artchild

Photographed by Esther Faciane (they/she)

Aaron Kurlander is a creative based in Brooklyn who works as a driving force behind so many of today’s most impactful campaigns. Producing and video editing for brands and agencies have garnered him friendships with creative collaborators and given him an acute finesse for photo editing and artistic talent referencing. Recently a new homeowner to his studio in Brooklyn, Aaron has channeled his formative experiences and creative penchants into perfecting his interior world. Tailor-made design pieces mixed with nods to his favorite places, NY-centric brands and contemporary artists are the result of nearly 5 months “daydreaming” during quarantine of ways to style his space.

Shelving unit: Custom Vitsœ

“I’m really proud of the Vitsœ shelving. The process was really cool. You work with a consultant, and they ask what you want from the shelving. I knew I wanted one section to be a desk, one to be a TV console, and one to be a bar cart.”

“I did a lot of personal growth during quarantine, and I feel like realizing how important your home space is was definitely part of that. I also learned to how to cook. I’ve gotten into vegan cooking recipes—hence the vegan eggplant that I made for you today! There’s this girl Caroline Gelen from Food52 who always has cool recipes that I’m obsessed with.”

Chairs: Finch hudson
Vase: Neal Drobnis Fase Vessel available at Coming Soon NYC
Salt and pepper shakers: Vintage
Glassware: Hawkins New York
Photograph, left: Inez & Vinoodh print purchased at NY Art Book Fair

“Before [this home], I never treated my [previous] apartment with all that much care—it was like a storage unit with a bed because I was always out and about, and it was tiny.”

Stemware: Sophie Lou Jacobsen
Book: Tim Walker: Wonderful Things published by V&A Museum

“It was nice to know that I was going into [this studio] without roommates because I didn’t need to compromise on my style or aesthetic or anything. I could make the place exactly in the image that I wanted. There is still so much that I want to do. More big changes, like the lights. I wanted things to be custom and to put the investment into it.”

Mirror: Skilset Studio
Accordion cardboard side table: Flying Tiger

Table and bench: Lichen NYC

“All of the art in here is actually really inexpensive; it’s a lot of prints. That [Inez & Vinoodh] print is from the Art Book Fair. It was literally a $5.00 print that I got framed. What’s inspired a lot of the art in my apartment is my personal connections with people. I’m lucky—with my job, I’m friends with a lot of photographers. There’s a lot of zines from photographers I admire. I’ve met with Stef Mitchell, Mel Bles, Heather Hazzan… I’m lucky that I get to work with amazing photographers and get to know them on a personal level.”

Print: “When a Man Loves a Woman” signed by photographer, Molly Matalon
Couch: Lichen NYC
Tray: Gaetano Pesce available at Coming Soon NYC

“I got this [print] signed—Molly Matalon is a friend of mine who I really love as a person. June Canedo, who I’ve worked with a ton and have shot with and also her piece was in Reframing the Future, which was a print sale my friends and I did during covid. The inspiration for what I do is working with insanely creative, nice people. That, at the end of the day, is what I love and why I like my job so much.”

Print: Odd Eye

“This is my newest piece, which I love. I bought it from Odd Eye, a vintage furniture and tchotchke dealer. They had a pop-up in the Lower East Side. It’s [an edition of] 1 in 10. It was $325, framed and everything.”

Side table: Kartell
Custom bed: Skilset Studio

“Clutter from [my childhood] home stressed me out so much that now it needs to feel like an oasis. That’s why I wanted everything to be very neutral with white walls—I wanted it to be calm.”

Blanket: A.P.C.
Print: NY Art Book Fair

“It’s hard [with a studio] because I want to be here forever… but I can’t hold onto a studio forever.”

Lucite Chair: Vintage
Shelving unit: Custom Vitsœ

“This was one of the first places I saw, one of the only places I saw, and I just kind of knew… this is the one.”

“I love Mexico City, it inspired my bathroom. The menu is from Pujol. My friends and I went in 2018, and I got it framed.”

“I got a digital blue camcorder when I was a kid and it really inspired me to make movies and that’s how I ended up going to film school. Now I work in photo production. It really showed me how fun it could be behind the lens.”