Swizz Beatz’s CB2 Deal Started With Alicia Keys’ Nail Tech

Swizz Beatz credited Alicia Keys’ nail tech with helping him land his CB2 furniture collaboration, then explained how he checked his ego to learn a new craft.

Celebrity manicurist Dawn Sterling connected the producer with someone at the home brand, he revealed in a Wallpaper interview about the collection’s origins.

That introduction led to trips to Chicago to study fabrics and help shape Casa Dean.

“That took being open-minded and not just coming in with the fake celebrity energy. I was more of a student,” Swizz said.

The line brought his family’s name and memories into furniture, lighting and home accessories. Keys also helped him think through the designs. The pair reviewed drawings and photos at their dinner table as the project came together.

One of its most personal pieces was the Lam-Louie DJ console, named for his father. It drew on his grandmother’s cabinet, which had a hidden turntable and record storage. Both Swizz and his dad started as DJs.

Swizz worked with Evan Jerry, founder of Studio ANANSI, during the two-year project. Their goal drew on the home Swizz shares with Keys in La Jolla, California. He wanted pieces the family would actually use in their own space.

His taste had changed since his first home. Back then, Swizz recalled choosing furniture based on price tags and designer names. Travel later helped him form his own views. For Casa Dean, he said he welcomed guidance on colors and materials.

He tied the design work to his day job in a statement on CB2’s collection page.

“The way that I design music is the same part of my brain that I used for designing this collection.”

The Dean family’s creative ties run deep. His uncles Waah and Dee Dean and aunt Chivon Dean co-founded Ruff Ryders, the label and movement that became home to DMX, Eve, The LOX and Swizz himself.

Casa Dean went on sale in stores and online October 15, following early access through the CB2 app a day earlier. The retailer listed the Lam-Louie DJ console at $4,999, with a separate Lam-Louie media console priced at $2,999.