What happens when you blend African flair with Scandinavian minimalism? You get a cozy, earthy aesthetic that feels like home. At least that’s the feeling that Marcus Samuelsson, the celebrated chef, wants to create through his new 32-piece capsule of kitchen furniture and tableware for West Elm.
Samuelsson spent months partnering with West Elm’s designers to create pieces that reflect the kind of warmth he nurtures at his fifteen restaurants around the world. The collection—which includes a dining table and chairs, a cabinet, lighting, rugs, flatware, and tableware that run from $40 to $1,299—are available on West Elm’s website.
Samuelsson brings a singular point of view to the American culinary scene. He was born in Ethiopia, but was later adopted by a Swedish family and raised Gothenberg. As he grew up and fell in love with cooking, he moved to New York City to launch his culinary empire, which now includes restaurants all over the world. But as he traveled the world, Samuelsson never forgot his roots. “I often went back to Ethiopia, to see where I was born,” he says. “I have a very clear memory of place where my mother brought me home. It was what you might call a hut.”
Samuelsson brings his diverse influences to the dishes he creates. At Hav & Mar, his seafood restaurant in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood, he blends a Swedish smoked fish with Ethiopian stews like doro wot. At Red Rooster, his Harlem restaurant, he offers traditional soul food like shrimp and grits and crab cakes, but highlights the African influences that inform these dishes.
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