Cary Leitzes founded her creative branding agency LEITZES&CO in 2005 after working as the director of photography at Harper’s Bazaar for seven years. Leitzes not only has a brilliant eye for spotting the next great talent, but she also has the lucky charm of good real-estate karma. So it follows that she and her small but dedicated team have been making the second floor of Jeffrey Deitch’s petite building at 76 Grand Street (the former location of his Deitch Projects gallery) their command central since 2001. Leitzes’s desk sports a present she decided not to give away: “The hand was cast at a foundry in Gowanus. It was a gift for a friend who deserved it, but it was so beautiful that I couldn’t bear to part with it.” Photo: Wendy Goodman
These winding stairs lead up to Leitzes’s office. “They are one of my favorite features of the building,” she says. “It reminds me of the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland; a magical transition happens between the floors. Or, as Jean Pigozzi told me, “One can’t be too fat or too tall to get up the stairs!’” Photo: Wendy Goodman
A compact communal kitchen area awaits when you arrive at the top of the stairs. A Saarinen table is surrounded by orange YDF chairs from Alberto Basaglia and white Bellini chairs from Heller. Both are perfect for the space and size of the table. Photo: Wendy Goodman
The walls of storage and bookshelves were installed by Jeffrey Deitch and already there when Leitzes moved in. “The books are part of his library,” she says. “We are the caretakers of his books!” The archival boxes are from Talas in Brooklyn. Photo: Wendy Goodman
Leitzes and her two assistants work side by side in the open airy space with two skylights. The white desks are Kartell Four Laminates, and the red rolling file cabinets are from CB2. They’re joined by Eames Aluminium Group Management chairs. Photo: Wendy Goodman
The conference table by the window is surrounded by three chairs by Chris Rucker, which are made of compressed medium-density fiberboard. “I discovered Chris through the work he did for Steven Klein,” she says. Photo: Wendy Goodman
Suzanne Geiss’s desk is located in an area off LEITZES&CO’s office. The art is by Eli Sudbrack and the desk was designed by Rafael de Cárdenas. Photo: Wendy Goodman
The art here is by Mary Beth Edelson and Melodie Mousset. Photo: Wendy Goodman
The lightbulbs placed between every other beam make for soft but effective lighting. This kind of order in a small office felt so clean. I left wanting to redo my office entirely. Photo: Wendy Goodman
