Lukas Machnik, 35, dubbed the ‘bad boy of design’ by NBC’s reality show American Dream Builders when he was the winning contestant last year, credits his countless creative proclivities to his mother’s wanderlust. “We lived in Poland, but traveled nonstop to see art and architecture. She took me to every country in Europe and half the Middle East by the time I was 12,” he says.
It’s those formative years that shaped his self-taught career as an artist and designer, and led to that sexy sobriquet on the show. “They needed to have something clever to call every contestant, and I was the lone minimalist. They thought I was really out-of-the box for that,” laughs Machnik.
Indeed, his inventive makeover of a Southern California beach cottage turned its contemporary cedar exterior rigorous in black, the laid-back interior sharp in white, standing in stark contrast to the breezy abode his competitor turned out. It also proved to be a wildly popular search topic online, drawing more hits than any other project in the show’s history, Machnik notes.
The same ingenuity that informed his show performance informs his design practice and life. So when he and his partner, Chicago artist Lonney H. White III, decided to consolidate their artistic pursuits and home life under one roof, it made sense to find an out-of-the-box place they could lavish with love — not to mention fill with all the things they love.
‘Fill’ is the operative word here; Machnik is exacting about what that means. “I don’t decorate space. I don’t design space. I curate it,” he asserts. And he does the same thing for his clients. “I teach them that it’s about not following trends. It’s about hiding the unnecessary while showing the things that bring you pleasure,” he explains.
A yearlong search finally yielded a former glass factory in Bridgeport on a 92-by-125-foot plot, packed with unrealized opportunities for wildly desirable amenities. A parking lot flanking the 6300 square foot brick structure could be reconfigured as a garden and garage; 4000 more square feet of lofted space held endless possibilities for storage and commerce; a 30-by-13-foot foyer flanked by four offices could house their design business; and the building’s concrete floor jibed perfectly with their austere aesthetic, sort of. “It was sponge painted all these really bright, ugly shades of green,” groans Machnik.
As a seasoned renovation pro, none of it was a problem for Machnik. “I started out with a remodeling construction company and did apprenticeships with every tradesman … from the carpenter and tile guy to the plumber and electrician. So I know how to do it all, have a fantastic team and only design things that are buildable — even though I may need to tell my guys how to do it,” he admits with a wry grin.
For that scuzzy concrete floor, a superfine grade of steel wool eradicated the paint in an intensive 14-day refinishing project. A black stain followed to raise its glamor quotient exponentially. “Now it looks like terrazzo,” he says of the floor’s mirror-sharp sheen.
The equally corrupted foyer and offices were stripped of trims and a bad decorative paint job that put a blue sky and fluffy clouds overhead, replaced by pristine walls painted Benjamin Moore’s decorators white, Machnik’s go-to hue of choice for its subtle gray undertone. Built-in storage cabinets dreamed up by Machnik and White sport Ikea innards clad with patinated steel, and even hide all the workings of a staff kitchen in the area originally designated a break room.
Office furnishings, true to Machnik’s creed, are a curated assortment of furniture and art that makes the space efficient, yet also extremely chic. Standouts are a monumental communal worktable designed by White and an installation of Charlotte Perriand’s iconic CP1 sconces from the 1960s, installed en masse with their cords visible. “I didn’t want to commit to a junction box, so I could move them if I think of a different way to use them,” explains Machnik. With eight more on the way, he already has plans for change.
Most daunting for Machnik and White is the enormous factory expanse behind the offices, which is destined to be in flux for quite some time. Even design wunderkinds need time to effect the massive change it will take. “It will always be an open area, but we are putting in a new kitchen and plan on replacing the brick wall adjacent to the parking lot with a 30-foot long glass wall system that will open to the area and offer a seamless integration with the garden. Of course, that garden is also yet-to-be.
More Top Picks Skeleton Oreo Pops Fun Halloween Snacks For Kids
For now, Machnik demolished the old kitchen because he “hated” the cabinets, and is using black metal commercial racks to hold his assortment of kitchen accouterments that runs from a collection of economical Moroccan terra cotta tangines to extremely pricey copper pots. “I choose by form and function, and it comes at every price point,” he says. His favorite low budget finds of the moment, both from Ikea, are a black marble mortar and pestle for $14.99 that he uses as a dog bowl, and stainless silverware he’s had for decades. The latter taught him a lesson; “Ikea discontinued it so I bought four mortars as insurance,” he says.
One place where high and low is not a go is the main living area, filled with iconic treasures —such as a pair of prototype Knoll chairs that were only produced for four years and are now quite precious and a bespoke carpet bought at auction — and the couple’s own pieces. A bench and coffee table are one-offs by Machnik, but his ebonized plywood Monument chairs, an homage to famed minimalist designers such as Carla Scarpa, Donald Judd, Louise Nevelson and Richard Serra, are produced in editions of 20. Next up, a marble version produced in limited editions of 8. Also on tap is a bronze, steel and leather sofa of White’s design, currently being finalized.
“So much is still to come…here and in my business,” says Machnik, who is about to show his new collections — including lighting and objects made by the same company that makes Rick Owens jewelry — at Disruptive Design Exhibition, a new design show in New York City May 4-6 , and his new gallery on 1stdibs that will debut this month.
But in all his endeavors, he insists his ethos will never change: “At the end of the day, materials inspire me. I have an idea and I find a way to make it happen. And it always pushes the boundaries,” he says.