Tuleste Factory Presents “If You Want Peace” by Stefon Diggs

On view through the end of the month in Manhattan is a presentation of expressive furniture by the athlete and designer Stefon Diggs, presented by Tuleste Factory. Through Diggs’ design practice, SI VIS PACEM, he has channeled a lifelong appreciation for interiors, art, and storytelling and created an array of collectible furniture pieces and objects that transform the home into a place of comfort, play, and escape. 

Some pieces were originally seen last December at Design Miami, yet today, the full presentation, entitled “If You Want Peace,” reveals Diggs’s full collection of furniture pieces—from uniquely shaped mirrors in various materials to low-resting chairs covered in ladybug motifs and a large-scale synthetic tree. Blurring the boundaries between collectible design and personal expression, the creator’s pieces are inspired by everything from 1970s and ’80s design to music, pop culture, and nature.

Diggs toured Whitewall through the exhibition, revealing how his playful designs took shape, and why curiosity and communal experiences were central to the line. 

Inside “If You Want Peace”

WHITEWALL: There are a lot of unique pieces in here, but one unexpected one is the standup fiberglass resin ashtray. What inspired this design?

STEFON DIGGS: I have a lot of smokers that I’m around, whether it’s cigars or cigarettes—whatever you prefer. I wanted something for them to be active with; something that they could have when they sit down. I wanted something to be comfortable. My agent and some close father figures of mine smoke a lot of cigars, so they are laid-back in a chair. I wanted something for them to have to put down whatever they’re smoking—and somewhere to put down a good drink. Usually, with a cigar, they have like some cognac or some whiskey. So I said, “Let me make something for them.” I drink a little bit, too, so it’s a little glass holder, too. I tried to make it big enough to where you could put a very tall drink in there, or you could put something a little personal in there.

I also wanted it to be multifunctional. You could put it by the door for when you empty your pockets. 

WW: It’s also on the theme of nature, alongside the tree, with stems as legs. 

SD: We were trying to figure out how we are going to make it stable enough to be stationary. I saw some things inspo-wise that were just two legs, and they said, “We don’t think two legs will work, so we’re going to add an extra leg.” Somebody said it looked like a tree, and I was like, “Look at that!” I hope when people see the pieces, it’s not just for one thing. You can use it for anything. 

Playful Materials and Motifs

WW: We’re also seeing this concave chair with ladybugs on it, which coincides with the visuals outside of the space—ladybugs on the window decals outside. What significance does the ladybug have for you?

SD: A good friend of mine, we call her “Ladybug.” She reminds me of a ladybug. We call her “Good Luck,” as well. It’s what they represent—like any time a ladybug lands on you, you’re supposed to not wipe them off. They give you a little bit of good luck. For a short period of time, I kept seeing them, so I thought that was a sign. We made this in another fabric and I was like, “Can we do a ladybug chair then?”

I have these ideas that seem a little far-fetched, but it was, “We could do anything you want to do.” As long as it looks right and its cozy. So, we redid it a little bit, where you could sit a little deeper in it. 

WW: We’re also seeing several mirrors in different finishes, and some are quite unique, such as in chrome and in coyote fur. 

SD: That was one of the first things we did when we started in furniture. I wanted a mirror in a different shape. And it’s a good feel. I wanted people to have an experience. You know when you go into spaces, and they say, Don’t touch anything”? I wanted you to touch everything. Get a good feel of it, and see if you like it. It’s motivating when you touch something and you say, “Yeah, I should probably put this in my house!”

And the chrome is a fan-favorite, material-wise. People that have black, white, and gray spaces, I think the chrome will fit well. I don’t have a favorite color, but this is my favorite shade. 

And they’re interactive. If you get one, you get two, I hope.

WW: What about the striped black and white mirror? Was there a certain point of inspiration for that?

SD: Have y’all seen the picture of Lenny Kravitz on a black-and-white floor? He’s next to a (Jean-Michel) Basquiat painting with his shoes off. That was the inspo. 

A Childhood Classic Reimagined

WW: What about your army men statues?

SD: I don’t have many friends. These are them. These are some of my favorites. We were talking about army men for a few years—and I was going to have a chair made—and I was like, “Why don’t we make figures?” We were trying to figure out what kind of figure, and it went on the long list of “Can we do it?” They again said, “We can do anything.” And we wanted to make them functional—so you can put your keys down, whatever you want right here. You can also put them outside; they’re indoor-outdoor.

When I was a little boy, I played with these toy soldiers. Toy Story is one of my favorite movies! [Laughs]

WW: What was your idea for the ponyhair bench?

SD: I originally made it for a closet, but it can be anywhere. I imagined taking my shoes off or putting my shoes on when I sit on it. I tried to take a nap on it when we were shooting it! [Laughs] The ponyhair was a good material to use, too, because it’s friendly. 

WW: And where are the pieces produced? 

SD: Vietnam. It was a great experience, even just the dialogue as they were going through a process—to see how much they were really doing, especially with the tree. It’s a beast to say the least. When they were starting, I said, “I don’t know how they’re going to do it!” But it started coming about, and it looked exactly like the 3-D rendering. It was amazing.

A Collector’s Mentality Transformed

WW: Where did your affection for furniture come from?

SD: I was a consumer. I was buying a lot of furniture in the past five to six years. I just love it. When I build a space, if I want to create it peacefully or energetically, I go off of the things that came before me—or things that I’m drawn to. I just love furniture and design. And I like to keep things lighthearted and fun. Using my childlike self and my lack of experience brings up more creativity, I guess, because I’m not stuck in a box. 

WW: That non-traditional route spurs curiosity. How do you typically start when you’re coming up with a piece and then need to refine it?

SD: Before you start doing something, you kind of have to learn about it; seek information from people who have done it before you. Or you can just go in and learn as you go! There’s two ways to do things. We did a little bit of both. I drew some inspiration from older people, or the creative side. I went along the path of just doing, doing, doing. “We’ll figure it out as we go!” I just didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew in the beginning. And then we built off of that. Like with the mirror—it was thinking about different fabrics, different shapes. We have a good base to build off of, rather than doing so many different things. 

WW: We see different iterations of the chair, the mirror, and the ashtrays, but we also see one-of-a-kind collectible pieces, like the tree and a big “H” bench. Tell us about the latter.

SD: Everything won’t be for every space. We have the clean aesthetic and we have the fun. When I built my house, or when I got into furniture, I said, “Let me have a couple of pieces in my house, conversational pieces, that you can interact with. Multiple people can sit on; we can have a lot of fun with.” 

WW: How did the “H” come about?

SF: We wanted to spell out “home.” I started with my clothing brand, and I was gonna make furniture off of my clothing brand. It developed into something else, obviously, but I wanted to just write all the letters and have them all around my house, scattered. That’s how that started originally.