Wabele Concrete Fireplace Collection
Leyden Lewis has partnered with Trueform Concrete to produce three sinuous fireplace surrounds that blur the line between fixture and sculpture; art and architecture.
Design is the act of summoning and manifesting imagination into the material world. It begins as a spark within—an image, a feeling, a gesture—and is given form through drawing, refined through craftsmanship, and realized in the act of making. In this way, design becomes a bridge between the unseen and the tangible, carrying ideas from the imagination into lived reality.
- Leyden Lewis
Wabele Concrete Fireplace Collection
Outward
- A symmetrical surround built from forms that sweep out from the firebox and align on the left and right edges
- Four-piece design (including hearth stone)
- High-strength GFRC construction
- Handcrafted in our New Jersey studio
- Eight signature colors available in three finishes
- Made to order / Dimensions will vary based on your firebox size (model referenced here is 8ft in length)
Outward
(Un)balanced
- A large, organic and asymmetrical surround that emerges from the wall quietly and with effortless style
- Four-piece design (including hearth stone)
- High-strength GFRC construction
- Handcrafted in our New Jersey studio
- Eight signature colors available in three finishes
- Made to order / Dimensions will vary based on your firebox size (model referenced here is 10ft in length)
(Un)balanced
Inward
- A symmetrical surround built from forms that sweep into the firebox and align on the left and right edges
- Four-piece design (including hearth stone)
- High-strength GFRC construction
- Handcrafted in our New Jersey studio
- Eight signature colors available in three finishes
- Made to order / Dimensions will vary based on your firebox size (model referenced here is 8ft in length)
Inward
The name Wabele draws from the revered Senufo traditions of West Africa, where it signifies one of the most commanding ritual masks of the Poro society. It embodies strength, mystery, and ancestral wisdom. As a suite of fireplace surrounds, Wabele channels this same energy into modern design: bold forms inspired by primal geometry, refined with a sense of ritual power and timeless presence. Each piece is not only functional but symbolic—an object that carries heritage, protection, and authority into contemporary spaces. Wabele is more than design—it is a statement of raw elegance, merging cultural depth with sculptural precision.
The first design for the Outward concrete fireplace surround emerged through the act of drawing. It began as a replacement for the existing surround while renovating an apartment in a late 1920s Emery Roth–designed building in Brooklyn. The building’s Art Deco architecture inspired me, and I translated that influence through my own lens: an African-inspired modernist cubist approach to form-making. My knowledge of African-influenced cubist paintings and modernist design language informed the gestures of the piece, allowing me to create a surround that both honors the history of the space and reinterprets it.
AD100 Designer Leyden Lewis received his BFA in Architecture from Parsons School of Design. He continues to teach at Parsons and the New York School of Interior Design. Leyden’s aesthetic is rooted in a rich classical Modernism coupled with ancient traditions and methodologies. He operates from a deep interest in art and design history to tell new and modern stories. His practice engages cultures of both past and present and allows for a fluid integration between art, architecture, and design. As a fine artist, Leyden has exhibited at the Studio Museum in Harlem and at NYU’s 80WSE. He has the honor of being a Kip's Bay Decorator Show House alumnus. Leyden is a Founding Member of the Black Artists + Designer's Guild (BADG).
Start with Samples
Seeing is believing - so get acquainted with the look and feel of our concrete by ordering physical samples - either individually or as a complete set. Samples enable you to directly experience the color and finish you can expect on your completed fireplace surround.
Start with Samples
Wabele Booklet
Download a PDF overview of the collection - including images and line drawings.
Wabele Booklet