Piping hot: Tetra brings high design to smoking accessories
Tetra brings high design to smoking accessories

Monica Khemsurov, Eviana Hartman and Su Wu have a penchant for high design — so much so that the three writers and curators decided to fuse their aesthetic sensibilities with their affinity for smoking in the form of Tetra, a new e-commerce shop and lifestyle brand dedicated to 'elevating the aesthetics of the smoking experience'.
The idea began last spring when the three friends were hanging out at El Matador beach in Los Angeles, and they realised that nobody had yet to enter that realm of the smoking boom. 'We have a lot of similar types and we have a lot of connections with creatives, and it suddenly made sense,' recalls Khemsurov.
They made it their mission to be the first, and quickly got to work commissioning design and fashion talent to create objects for Tetra. The trio looked to pieces related to smoking from the past – like Alessi’s Marianne Brandt ashtray – and created a mood board filled with brass and marble objects, sculpture, and vintage pieces they loved, sending out a brief to designers including Leah Ball, Fundamental Berlin and Fort Standard.
Joe Doucet created a sleek $2,000 ashtray coated in 24-carat gold; ceramicist Helen Levi took her gilded hand and turned it into an ashtray and pipe-stand; and Tsubota Pearl designed a minimal matte lighter. 'As a design journalist, I get really excited when someone applies design aesthetics to a genre that’s never had it before,' said Khemsurov.
Who doesn’t want to see a little beauty in their bowl? 'A lot of people we know who are aesthetes also happen to be smokers,' says Khemsurov. 'We assume there’s a market because there’s a lot of smokers out there and they want nice things.'
The idea began early last year when the store's founders – Monica Khemsurov, Eviana Hartman and Su Wu – realised that nobody had yet to enter that realm of the smoking boom
They made it their mission to be the first, and quickly got to work commissioning design and fashion talent to create objects for Tetra
The trio looked to pieces related to smoking from the past and created a mood board filled with brass and marble objects, sculpture, and vintage pieces they love
Ceramicist Helen Levi took her gilded hand and turned it into an ashtray and pipe-stand
Joe Doucet created a sleek $2,000 ashtray coated in 24-carat gold
Tsubota Pearl designed a minimal matte lighter
INFORMATION
For more information and ordering, visit Tetra
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ann Binlot is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer who covers art, fashion, design, architecture, food, and travel for publications like Wallpaper*, the Wall Street Journal, and Monocle. She is also editor-at-large at Document Journal and Family Style magazines.
-
ICON 4x4 goes EV, giving their classic Bronco-based restomod an electric twist
The EV Bronco is ICON 4x4’s first foray into electrifying its range of bespoke vintage off-roaders and SUVs
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
‘Dressed to Impress’ captures the vivid world of everyday fashion in the 1950s and 1960s
A new photography book from The Anonymous Project showcases its subjects when they’re dressed for best, posing for events and celebrations unknown
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Inside Camperlab’s Harry Nuriev-designed Paris store, a dramatic exercise in contrast
The Crosby Studios founder tells Wallpaper* the story behind his new store design for Mallorcan shoe brand Camperlab, which centres on an interplay between ‘crushed concrete’ and gleaming industrial design
By Jack Moss Published