Magicians or Monks?

LeavittWeaver is an interior, furniture and product design company known for creativity veiled in an unfathomable mystery, especially when three people meld interests, efforts and intentions in a shared act of expression. As a result, people are known to ask if LeavittWeaver might not be magicians or monks.

The range of LeavittWeaver creative design expression is extensive. From Ann and Gordon Getty's exuberant chinoiserie Great Room, to a small cottage featuring rough hewn, wide-board floors and furnished with Thrift Store Savvy; from San Francisco bachelor apartments for three sons of a prominent family, to a private Boeing 737 Demonstrator for Boeing's chairman and his wife; from corporate identities for PlumpJack (including three restaurants, two wine stores, a boutique hotel at Squaw Valley and a Napa winery and garden); to a home for current California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom; to seven separate homes for an affluent New York Banker.

In 1981 The New York Times selected LeavittWeaver as representative of the “Best in Western Design”, and featured their Tripod Floor Lamp. Today, this lamp is found in major showrooms around the United States and Canada.

LeavittWeaver's business has always been based in California's San Joaquin Valley, certainly not a major urban center; yet Craig Leavitt and Stephen Weaver have retained their cutting edge vision for 35 years, while remaining an enigma. Adding to the mystery is how they continue to drive and define modern design in their personal way. While a global perspective and cutting edge modern vision of life generating from Modesto may not seem plausible to some, it has fed and led LeavittWeaver to continue pushing the boundaries of design and constantly redefine how we live, relax, and work. Global perspectives all have a point of departure and LeavittWeaver continues challenging those boundaries without limits.

LeavittWeaver success has much to do with understanding and appreciating hands and brains-on crafts people; “The real magicians are those working behind the scene; creating team-style what we take credit for,” say the designers, “We can never say enough good about these souls.” Craig and Stephen credit a third principal, Len Revelli for very important undertakings for the group; from initiating LeavittWeaver's furniture line in the early 1990's.

They gratefully remember those decades of clients having asked for the one-of-a-kind, be it single pieces, a garden or interior design, custom furnishings for a series of spec homes in Palm Springs, an Art Deco inspired private Boeing727 (a birthday gift from a husband to his wife), a Pied-a-Terre, every inch embellished with custom bronze, polished teak mica, and displaying the clients antique lighting, furnishings and 19th-20th century decorative arts collections.

Some clients coming to LeavittWeaver are second generation, continuing further the religious Monk possibility; “Carrying family traditions to new places,” said one of these clients recently reported being the personal experience. Another client, beginning a seventh home design with LeavittWeaver, is considering creating an area to act as a LeavittWeaver museum; single largest collection of LeavittWeaver furniture, encompassing pieces from the beginning to present.

“Challenges Welcome Here”, perhaps should be the better title for this bio; considering how down to earth these men prove being with very little reliance on magic or solitude.