

Creative Mind: In Common With
Community is key to the burgeoning Brooklyn lighting studio, which recently broke the mold by launching a stylish bar, boutique, and lounge where the power of collaborative design reverberates deeply throughout

Showroom. Photo: William Jess Laird
Felicia Hung met Nick Ozemba at Rhode Island School of Design and quickly discovered they shared “a similar mindset and complementary skills,” she recalls. After early-career stints at established firms, they finally joined forces in 2018 to start New York lighting studio In Common With.
True to its name, In Common With celebrates collaboration at every level. Ozemba and Hung work closely with metalsmiths, ceramists, and glassblowers before assembling table lamps and billowing glass chandeliers in their Brooklyn headquarters; their creations grace interiors conceived by designers such as Giancarlo Valle and Tali Roth. The studio’s full array shines at Quarters, its Tribeca bar and concept shop. The 8,000-square-foot, 19th-century loft is tastefully appointed with vintage treasures and the duo’s latest lighting pieces.

The bar at Quarters. Photo: William Jess Laird

Pendants at the company's production studio in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Photo: William Jess Laird
Branching out: Last fall, the pair opened a vibey wine bar and café inside Quarters. This year, they will complete the upstairs dining room and flesh out its event programming, eyeing ways to engage with the art and fashion spheres. “It’s exciting to have so many different types of people come in,” Hung says.

Casa Monte, designed by Carlos Matos, in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. Photo: William Jess Laird

Casa Viento, designed by Aranza de Ariño, in Puerto Escondido,Oaxaca. Photo: William Jess Laird
“It’s exciting to have so many different types of people come in”
Felicia Hung

The great room at Quarters. Photo: William Jess Laird
Up next: In the spring, they’re launching Op Art–inspired luminaires involving novel techniques like “silk-screening glass to make layered patterns,” Ozemba says, describing the collection as his favorite to date. Prepare for more, too—they plan to quadruple the size of their production studio.
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2025 Spring Issue under the headline “Creative Minds.” Subscribe to the magazine.

Quarters. Photo: William Jess Laird