Camilla Staerk

The designer and artist Camilla Stærk merges the drama of Old Hollywood with Danish minimalism in the clothing, accessories and home décor that she sells under her namesake label, Stærk. She has also designed the interiors of restaurants and hotels around the world, most recently the dining room for Brooklyn’s Ilis.

Now she’s launching her first piece of furniture, the Signature Chaise No. 1. Inspired by the Danish author Karen Blixen’s memoir, “Out of Africa,” the chaise longue features a horn-inspired block base, hand-painted oak frame and upholstery made of saddle leather and shearling. The leather lacing on its sides — intended to evoke the tight crossings of a corset — is complemented by metal and black pearl hardware and a headrest made of Stærk’s trademark hand-knit leather, which she calls “armor.”

Stærk, whose previous collections have referenced David Lynchian surrealism and the transgressive photography of Robert Mapplethorpe, sees design as a form of storytelling. “I love creating a whole mood and atmosphere and world, and just letting the fantasy take over,” she says.