Design
Rogan Gregory’s polymorphic fireplaces
The majority of Gregory’s works are made from a natural material called gypsum.
Image courtesy of: The New York Times Style Magazine, photographed: Mari Maeda and Yuji Oboshi
In a career that has lasted for 25-years, Rogan Gregory has been able to bring his unique approach to design, architecture, and luxury clothing. The designer has experimented with raw materials that others consider too simple; for example, he was drawn to organic and plain fabrics before they were fashionable.
Prior to home design, Gregory created technically revolutionary fabric and innovative garment construction. All the while, his clothing spoke for itself and showcased Gregory as a pioneer for a new generation of designers.
From R & Company’s booth at Design Miami 2019, Rogan Gregory’s furnishings and interior décor.
Image courtesy of: The Decorating Diva
Gregory’s designs are inspired by feminine beauty and fertility. He is also intrigued by marine life and all the unanswered questions that come from outer space. To Gregory, as for many of us, these are subjects that ensue a sense of awe.
Along the same lines, the designer’s materials and processes are organically driven. Gregory says (courtesy of R & Company), “I make a rough sketch or maquette then let the material and my naïveté lead the way to resolution and truth in the form.”
Rogan Gregory’s fireplace and some of his biolog- sculptured furnishings at Design Miami 2019.
Image courtesy of: R & Company
The past few years, Gregory has concentrated on furniture, lighting, and sculpture with his signature biomorphic contours. He creates these designs using gypsum, wood, and plaster. The overwhelming favorite has been the massive fireplace surround.
The surround is made of a marble composite that includes an Aqua-Resin and a ceramic fiber insulation board. The marble composite has an ASTM E-84 Glass A fire-rating and the inner surface is heat-rated for up to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rogan says he never set out to be a clothing and fashion designer.
Image courtesy of: Architectural Digest, photographed by: Max Burkhalter
At over eight feet tall and nearly eight feet wide, the fireplace is sculpted from a heat-tolerant marble composite that embodies a velvety-matte finish. The stone is ground to a powder and combined with resin and a ceramic fiber insulation.
Rogan is the 2007 Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund Award Recipient, and says his earliest memories are from his father’s workshop when he was three years old. He recalls, albeit vaguely, sitting in a high-chair covered in sawdust. Courtesy of Wallpaper, “I grew up in his shop. He thought making things was just a fun thing to do, not an occupation. So I never considered doing it.” The elder Rogan was a sociology professor and adventurous craftsman who worked with bronze, wood, and textiles. Similar to his father, Rogan has continued his “day job” saying “Making art and doing fashion is really satisfying. But sculpture is my calling. Being dusty and sanding something for four hours is pure meditation for me.”
“Fertility Form” illuminated sculpture. This piece is made from a carved surfboard form with a marble dust patina and an LED bulb.
Dimensions are: 24″ (length) x 24″ (width) x 36″ (height)
Image courtesy of: Pavillion Antiques
Speaking of his process to Wallpaper, Gregory said, “I get up in the morning and draw, or I make maquettes. If I do that for two to three hours, I feel fine. It’s almost like therapy. If I don’t do it, then I’m grouchy. Anything you can think of, you can realize the general idea of [in a sketch]. Making a maquette is a much more accurate depiction of what the eventual piece will be. It depends on the piece really.”
Enough said… we couldn’t agree more!
