A Growing Legacy of Artistic Integrity

Kornegay Design has long been an industry leader in sculptural precast concrete site furnishings including concrete planters, landscape containers, seating and more. Since its founding by designer and artist Larry Kornegay in 1997, Kornegay Design has earned a reputation for creating original, timeless forms realized through exceptional craftsmanship.

Deeply rooted in an affinity for the landscape, Kornegay’s by-hand casting process has been refined over the years to allow for unsurpassed quality control with minimal waste and environmental impact. Simple in form yet intricately beautiful, Kornegay Design’s products are more than quality handcrafted site furnishings—they are sculptural elements that enhance any environment.

Kornegay Design has been recognized by leading landscape design and architectural organizations and publications, including a GOOD DESIGN^™ award and recognition as Architectural Record’s Noteworthy Products of the Year.

When Larry Kornegay wanted to return to sculpting and other fine art projects in 2017, Kornegay Design was acquired by long-time collaborator, Landscape Forms, with the intention of honoring and expanding the founder’s creative spirit. “We were always inspired by Larry because he was a fine artist from day one,” says Landscape Forms Chief Creative Officer, Kirt Martin. “He lives and embodies the design lifestyle—it’s at his core and evident in everything he creates. We want to preserve and evolve that legacy in our leadership, specifically through the development of our Visiting Artists Program at Kornegay Design.”

The Visiting Artists Program, the first major initiative enacted at Kornegay Design under Martin’s leadership, expands on Larry Kornegay’s creative legacy. “We want Kornegay Design products to continue to be imagined, designed and created by fine artists,” says Martin. “Yes, Kornegay Design creates functional pieces, but we want each and every piece to continue to be beautiful works of art marked by a sense of purity and integrity, and an absence of pretense—the same qualities that Larry brings to his own work.”

The first collaborator to join the Visiting Artists Program was Ian McDonald, one of today’s most highly regarded potters and current Head of Ceramics at the renowned Cranbrook Academy of Art. Following Ian McDonald in the Visiting Artists Program was Claudia Issa, a São Paulo-based artist who continued to push creative boundaries and drive a new spirit of innovation at Kornegay Design.

“Working with Claudia Issa and Ian McDonald has been instrumental in our mission to grow and evolve the amazing brand that is Kornegay Design without losing the original soul that got us there in the first place,” says Kirt Martin. “For example, I find Claudia’s Paseos to be quite moving and inspiring—the series is at once very Kornegay, very evocative of the brand, but also a fresh expression of her artistic vision and global experiences.”

“Claudia, Ian and the other artists who will follow them in the Visiting Artists Program are our North Stars in inspiring a broader offering and exciting new direction forward for Kornegay,” Kirt Martin continues. “Their expanded use of materials, their widened palettes, their broadened experiences and distinct design sensibilities contribute to an ethos that is more diverse and more globally relevant, while still staying true to the original Kornegay spirit.”