A defining moment for me was spending time in my friends’ steel and timber workshop. At the time, I knew very little about how furniture was made. Watching the artisans at work and seeing the pride they took in their craft was incredibly inspiring. It shaped my understanding of materiality, the value of working with your hands, and the beauty of simplicity in design.

When designing new pieces, I still prefer to spend time in factories and workshops. I believe too many ideas get stuck on paper or computers, whereas I like to create by watching and doing. Conceptually, I always have a few ideas floating around in my mind, many of which are heavily influenced by history. Nostalgia and romance are recurring themes in Lemon’s aesthetic—we embrace the past, but our pieces are designed to live in a contemporary setting.

We work exclusively with natural materials because they age beautifully, developing patinas and evolving over time. Synthetic materials, in my view, lose this tactile quality. Our pieces are designed for everyday life, making material selection one of the most critical decisions in the design process.

There was a time when we focused too much on designing based on client briefs and needs. At some point, we made a conscious decision to create pieces we truly wanted to live with in our own homes. That shift in mindset was monumental and changed our business. I love a quote by Rick Rubin: “In terms of priority, inspiration comes first. You come next. The audience comes last.”

Another Rick Rubin quote feels fitting here: "Look for what you notice but no one else sees." While we’re not arrogant—we do listen to what our customers want—we constantly question whether a design remains true to our vision or if we’re simply responding to external demands. That being said, this isn’t a passion project. We’re not creating pieces that are meant to sit in museums—we love seeing our work integrated into clients’ interiors.

— Kevin Frankental

We strongly believe in creating products built to last. We use the highest quality materials, which can make our pieces more expensive, but the goal is to encourage thoughtful consumption—buy something you truly love, and buy it once. I like the idea of making conscious decisions about the objects we choose to live with—after all, everything in our surroundings commands our attention at some point.

Discipline in creative work is key. Sparks of inspiration are rare—you have to work at it every day for a few hours. Most of what you create won’t be up to standard, but the point is to keep going until you find the gems. I’ve also learned to be selective about whose opinions I seek. It’s not about surrounding yourself with “yes people” but rather finding creative contemporaries who challenge you. Then, it’s about deciding what feedback to embrace and what to ignore—it’s an intuitive process.

I love discovering talent—designers with a unique perspective that align with the Lemon world. I’m particularly excited about collaborating with creatives outside of the furniture industry. Right now, I’m exploring the work of a few incredible jewelry designers, imagining what a piece of furniture would look like if designed through their lens. Their approach would be entirely different from that of a traditional furniture designer, and that excites me.