02:50 - Source: CNN
Actor Terry Crews turns to furniture design
New York CNN  — 

For former NFL player-turned-actor, Terry Crews, professional shifts are clearly nothing new, though his latest career turn is perhaps more unexpected than the last: the “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” actor launched his first ever furniture collection for the American brand Bernhardt Design during this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York this May.

“My first sketches were absolutely crazy, because I didn’t really have any furniture design training, but what I discovered was that what my furniture needed was a story, a narrative,” says Crews, whose collection was inspired by the idea of modernizing ancient Egyptian culture for a contemporary context.

Actor and former NFL player Terry Crews has launched a new furniture collection.
The collection, designed for Bernhardt Design, debuted this month at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York.
Crews has had multiple careers, including NFL linebacker, artist, TV host and actor in popular films and TV shows, such as "Brooklyn Nine-Nine."
Crews has a background as an artist, previously working as a courtroom sketch artist in Flint, Michigan.
His sketches provided the foundation for the collection.
"My first sketches were absolutely crazy, because I didn't really have any furniture design training, but what I discovered was that what my furniture needed was a story, a narrative," says Crews.
His collection was inspired by the idea of modernizing ancient Egyptian culture for a contemporary context.
The budding designer joins the ranks of Yves Béhar, Jaime Hayon, Ross Lovegrove and many other design-world heavyweights as a contributor to Bernhardt's extensive portfolio of furniture and textiles.
"To me, design is about idealization," says Crews, "finding something and improving it until it gets to its best state."

The budding designer – who says he has been a lifelong artist, always drawing and sketching alongside his various day-jobs – joins the ranks of Yves Béhar, Jaime Hayon, Ross Lovegrove and many other design-world heavyweights as a contributor to Bernhardt’s extensive portfolio of furniture and textiles.

“To me, design is about idealization,” says Crews, “finding something and improving it until it gets to its best state.”

CNN Style sat down with the charismatic polymath in New York, to talk design, Hollywood, and Sylvester Stallone.