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Interior
Allen & Rivington, 2026
Beside the double windows on the corner of Allen & Rivington in Manhattan’s Lower East Side lies Old Friend, an analog photo booth established by Brandon Minton and Zoë Lazerson. Brandon and Zoë invited Roman and Caleb to help them envision the interior space behind the booth from conception to completion. The space would become host to a variety of roles including a workshop for the business and a lounge to host their community—reminiscent of an archaic café or tavern.
Every aspect of the space was developed in Roman and Caleb’s studio—much of the surfaces, built-ins, furnishings, and decor being conjured from scratch. Objects, materials, and influences from New England, France, Japan, and West Asia all contributed to the soul and sensibility. The project is further explored in an article published by The World of Interiors in April 2026.
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Throughout the space are soft blue stone plaster walls and floors surfaced with heavyweight Japanese paper, stained with coffee and dirt. In the parlor are tables and stools built from salvaged wooden beams and twigs; both tables have hand-sewn tablecloths and antique alabaster goblets used as candle holders. Atop the credenza, a nautilus-shaped architectural feature and a fractured French vase; beside it an early 19th century Spanish hall chair. The entryway architecture is built from salvaged oak with fine cotton curtains.
2.The workshop is fitted with antique letterpress cabinetry and a custom-built desk with antique hardware. The walls are adorned with a variety of paper artifacts. A custom-designed table lamp (1 of 2) with an antique mica lamp shade sits upon the desk.
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The bathroom is finished with a travertine wall, French textiles, and a 19th century mirror.
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The kitchenette is built from black-patinaed wooden beams, embellished with antique velvet curtains and a marble countertop. A mural of a woman lying on her chest in grass by painter India Sachi fills the interior wall.
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Alongside the antique Jenny Lind daybed sits a wallpapered storage box and a decorative bird cage with carved dried fruits inside. A large hand-made cotton curtain from a Japanese window display divides the room. An antique crib reworked into a coffee table with a travertine top serves as the centerpiece of the room; placed in it’s center lies a delicately repaired 18th century porcelain plate. On the platform’s seating are hand-made sitting pillows filled with buckwheat hulls; in the corner sits a large jug shelled in burlap, basket, and straw for displaying botanicals. Custom-made roll-up blinds provide a layer of privacy from the street.
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Architectural pillars repurposed as pedastals for handwritten latin letters arise out of the
sand-floored window display; aisde the pillars are a 17th century West Asian bowl and photographic artifacts spread upon delicate lace.
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