“I prefer to live and work without a roof over my head,” Rogan Gregory says. It’s not a surprising statement, given the sculptor-designer’s decidedly biomorphic style. Known for handcrafted works that at times appear to elegantly melt, bloom, or even embrace, Gregory finds his inspiration in nature, pointing to everything from the female form to marine life, and even the mysteries of outer space.

Though Gregory’s new Santa Monica studio does in fact include a roof, it seems to be working out just fine for the longtime New Yorker. Set in a former garbage truck depot, the warehouse-style space has been renovated to include a roll-down door and a skylight overhead.

“I’m inspired by the light coming in through the skylight; and how the mood and ambiance of the space evolves with the seasonal angles of the sun,” he says. Not far from the ocean or the mountains, it’s a simple, peaceful environment in which he can work.

That work includes pure sculpture as well as functional objects in a variety of materials, such as lava rock, bronze, gypsum, and pink pepper wood, as well as across scales. Think miniature animal forms along with massive sculptures, lighting, seating, and more. His full living room installation presented by R & Company at Design Miami/ 2019 featured, among other extra-terrestrial and sea-life inspired pieces, the dramatic, large-scale Fertility Form fireplace sculpted from marble composite. It was an indisputable highlight of the week.

Much of Gregory’s work feels both directly connected to our world and simultaneously of another time and place. To hear him tell it: “I find solace and draw energy from my relationship with the ocean and the mountains. I like to sustain this atmospheric spirit through interior spaces. Amorphous soft shapes, textures, and tonality enable us to return to the innate consciousness from which we evolved.” ◆

This story is taken from the Miami Design District Magazine (Spring 2021), available in the Miami Design District