Camila Navas
Founder of Nlumec / Brooklyn, NY
I don’t even know where to start because Camila and this interview is really special to me. Camila and I met earlier this year when I discovered her Dumbo artist loft and shared on NORMAL. She saw mine, we thought to ourselves are we neighbors, turned out we are. The rest is history. We came a long way since then. We became so close, supporting each other in every step of the way for whatever is going on in our lives. You probably have come across her beautiful loft in many photos, but I am more than happy to share an exlusive one with her. She moved here same week with her partner Alejandro when I moved into mine (that’s even funny, because I initially toured her apartment and decided on mine). She is also the founder and creator of Nlumec, a Brooklyn based handmade candle brand out of all natural ingredients. She puts her heart and soul into her work, and it makes me more than proud to watch her grow. We talked about every detail of the loft, her style, dream pieces, recommendations, purchases and more…Without giving any spoilers, I truly hope you enjoy this interview.
You can find her @camimaecool & @nlumec :)
For Nlumec’s website, click here.
What are your biggest inspirations for your home, interior and decorating? Where did your interior journey start?
My biggest inspirations came from my friends and family. Both of my parents have exquisite taste so I have a couple of classic things from them that grace our apartment with a combined aesthetic between the two of them. Attention to how a space makes you feel has always been a source of focus growing up as we moved across the country a lot. So constantly building and deconstructing and then building our homes again. Both my dad and I are Art collectors so the art filled walls and endless coffee table books are influenced heavily by him as well. My mom has a more bright and airy approach to interior design, so I try to keep a nice balance between clean and eclectic.
My interior journey started when I got my first solo apartment when living in Santa Monica, CA. I had a very old (bad 70s design) and hard to work with the apartment but at least it was mine! I became obsessed with searching for second hand furniture around LA to elevate my new space. I will never forget the day I bought a second hand Noguchi coffee table from these two college girls who were moving and could not take the heavy glass with them. They had no idea the significance of the table and quickly sold it to me for $100. That is when I learned how to source beautiful vintage - second love items which I still think is the best way to this day.
An interview with you can't be done without talking about all the art you have. You are an artist yourself, a collector and when I first met you I was so inspired to hear all the background stories. For those new to collecting art and creating gallery walls, would you share couple of your tips and how you do it?
I think a space without art can be cold and uninteresting - having art gives you the ability to show your style through things other people will enjoy looking at too. Art works like paintings or photographs can create depth in a home and also act as great conversation starters. A couple of tips I have when building a gallery wall or picking frames for your space would be 1.Start with 1 inch black or white frames that can be bought anywhere like arts and craft stores or hardware stores. 2. Visit thrift stores and flea markets for amazing second hand frames to sprinkle into your modern collection. I always say to have a good balance of old and new and vintage silver or gold frames add a lot of character to very modern homes. 3. I usually stagger my framed works on the floor to plan out a gallery wall. Always follow the formula to hanging art which is to have the bottom line measure 57 inches from the ground as to make the work ready to view at eye level. If hanging above furniture then it is acceptable to go higher than 57 inches and should be at least six to eight inches above the top of the furniture. Also pay attention do the size of the artwork vs. size of surrounding space and furniture.
Just recently, you also moved into an office space in Dumbo, separating the living and work space. I also want to dive into the office decoration a bit, again what's your vision for the space?
We wanted something functional and clean. Our styles favor airy and bright light with contrasting wood and metal surfaces/ furnitures. With this project we kept it simple and Alejandro actually built our desks from several ikea pieces. I have always been a fan of Apple products mostly because they are user friendly but also very clean and design forward. We took our iMac’s from our home and moved them to our new office. To compliment them we added simple shelving with a couple of inspirational books as well as a script signed by Bill Nye from when we had the opportunity to work with him for a Bombay Sapphire commercial at our home. We have one of our brown/ white cowhide rugs near a silver couch with complimenting silver chairs. The final product is a functional modern design studio meant to make working a priority- leaving mess and disorganization behind.
And the information we all wonder…
Our sofa is West Elm’s Haven leather sectional chaise in the color “Saddle Nut”
Herman Miller Eames lounge chair in white matte leather
Børge Mogensen Spanish chair in Oak and leather - This was a gift from my dad.
Daniel Arsham x Pokemon Rose crystalized gel print - We got this after his exhibition in Lower east side earlier this year.
For sheets I rotate between a couple of brands but my favorites are Gata and Crisp Sheets.
I get a lot of questions about our cowhide rugs I have had them for years and they are from Cowhides International.
We are best friends and know each other very well but…can you give some information on your background for those who are getting to know you?
My name is Camila Navas and I am from San Francisco, CA. I am an Artist and designer living in Brooklyn, NY with my boyfriend and business partner Alejandro Corpus. We also have a dachshund named Charlie who is very very special to us and our home. I am also a business owner, I have a company called Nlumec - which specializes in design driven housewares. I was exposed to museums at a very young age. I grew up frequenting museums in Europe and the US. I moved to Los Angeles for college and started broadening my horizons with internships in film, museum curation and production. When I transferred to school in New York to finish my bachelor’s degree, I was very drawn to the gallery lifestyle. I spent most of my last years in college at museums. I was exposed to painting and sculpting by some really great professors here in NYC. So, after graduating, the tide took me that way. I fell in love with the undercover design community that is interconnected worldwide. And I started Nlumec to become a part of the conversation and to bring light to people during a really dark time. One thing led to another, and I realized that people really loved my taste in art and design as well as interior decor.
You live in a large artist loft space, tall ceilings, a large canvas to work on. How did you decide to decorate this space? Did you have a moodboard on mind? What I wonder the most is Alejandro and you came together as a couple to create here, how do you come up with ideas and pick pieces while living together?
Before moving in, Alejandro was able to render our space with our respective furnitures at the time to see how everything would fit nicely. One of my favorite parts of our home is the view of The Empire State building - its the first thing that you see when you walk in our front door. We wanted to make sure that we created a linear path to it so you can follow it as you walk through our house from one end to the other. We played around with the furniture configuration and possible separations we dreamed about including but ultimately we are in this big open space together and the feng shui just works! Before we got accepted with our application I was already doing research on pinterest searching things like “artist loft, industrial studio etc..” We have similar taste - we both love organic materials and the look and feel they bring to a space- stone, wood, and leather are the perfect trio. We knew we wanted to definitely build and make our own furnishings as much as possible considering we are both very scrappy and creative. Alejandro started on his plan to build a large 500lb concrete table with a wooden frame- that seats 6 people. This was a dream of ours as we have never had a dining table in NYC.
We wanted the energy to flow and fit our lifestyle as well as to maintain a grand and airy feel. Each section of our house has a purpose and an action to be taken place there. Ale had his office in one corner and I had my artist easel and studio in the other. We have our dining room overlooking the living room to make available the majority of the space to hang out in and entertain. Our bed is in the opposite corner as the kitchen and is near the windows so that we can wake up to the beautiful New York City skyline every day.
I know the whole background but for everyone else wondering about your incredible work...You are a young entrepreneur that created a handmade candle brand. Where did the idea of Nlumec came? Especially during the pandemic, it is a courageous move to create a brand. How did you decide you wanted to make something substantial?
I had just graduated from Hunter College where I studied art history, architecture, sculpting and painting - It was a very weird year, uncertainty is a great conduit for motivation. Nlumec is a play on our initials and the word “lumens” in reference to the measure of light. I knew I wanted to create something that people would get excited about and want to have in their own homes. Nlumec was a way for me to bring light to dark times.
What makes Nlumec different than the other candle brands?What's your vision for it? And is there any future projects we need to keep an eye on :)?
Each candle is a modern representation of human emotion. We are composed of 100 percent natural and sustainable ingredients so you can feel good about owning one of our candles and even burning them around your loved ones. We utilize a mixture of 3d-printing and handmade craft to create sculptural candles that when lit become transformed. My vision is to take the candle landscape above and beyond- I would like to release more shapes and likely participate in more collaborations with other talented designers and young creatives alike. Eventually I would like to expand to designing other houseware products as well. We are currently working on prototyping a collaboration with Wooj Design. They are a couple of young entrepreneurs as well in the design industry.
How do you define your interior style? Also, do you have a dream piece or furniture you have on mind?
My favorite styles to mix between are modern eclectic, mid century modern and brutalist design. I am pretty content with my current collection but I have always admired the Hans Wegner Flag Halyard chair. I also love the classic Le Corbusier Sofa and have been looking for an extra large full length mirror. I also would want to have a Noguchi paper lamp one day.
How has taking hand-made decor as a business, sharing your work & living space changed the way you approach your home and purchases?
Since starting my company I have been hyper aware of other brands values and I make sure to invest in pieces that are unique and one of a kind. I am very interested in slow fashion/ sustainable pieces and handmade items from local artists.
Your home has such a beautiful energy, which comes from your energy of course...that brings the question of do have a routine you like to do at home? Doesn't necessarily need to be a "morning routine", just things that make you happy within the home?
One of the first things I do in the morning is open the window to release any negative energy that may have accumulated. Since it is one large space I try hard to keep it tidy which means keeping myself accountable. I like to do multiple rounds of getting rid every couple of weeks or so because it can be really easy to fill up our space and that also contributes to a new fresh energy. I also like to burn natural incense in their purest forms like the resin from the frankincense tree or palo santo. I find that this really clears the space and changes my mood.
