Drawing from a childhood steeped in mid-century architecture and coastal ease, Josh Greene doesn't merely recreate the past—he reimagines it.

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In his debut Agapanthus collection for Lawson-Fenning, The Expert and AD100 designer transforms sun-drenched memories of 1960s Southern California into sophisticated furnishings. “My references are never super direct,” he says. I just pull things out of my memory vault or recall a feeling from when I was a kid and interpret it into a piece of furniture.”

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Agapanthus, the name of the vibrant purple flowers that grew in the garden of Josh’s SoCal childhood home, is just one way he subtly nods to nostalgia. The 12-piece collaboration includes meticulously crafted case goods, upholstered seating, and tables in rich wood and stone finishes with stately, sophisticated midcentury-esque volumes.

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“My references are never super direct. I pull things out of my memory vault or recall a feeling from when I was a kid and interpret it into a piece of furniture.” —Josh Greene

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Some designs began as one-offs. The statement Canyon Bed debuted in a Palm Springs showhouse, while the elegant Fairway Sofa, with its tufted facade, channels the designer’s grandmother’s Arcadia apartment. “It has this vibe of 1960s Beverly Hills,” he explains. “Dressy, not ranchy.” The King Pouf, fully upholstered and plump, is named for the King’s Hawaiian rolls the Greene family always had on hand. “I wanted to call it the Royal Hawaiian Pouf,” he says. “But that was too wordy.”

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Even the names carry layered meanings. The Wagner Nightstand nods to celebrated architect Otto Wagner and early Viennese design, but also Ms. Wagner, Josh’s fourth-grade teacher. The Fairway series references the street where his grandmother lived. The Parma Side Table is based on a sink the Expert spotted at an antique fair in Italy. Its form was sliced and reimagined as legs. “It’s a shape I kept editing down,” he says.

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While Josh has long been a friend of the brand, this is his debut collaboration with Glenn Lawson and Grant Fenning. Talks began while he was designing the brand’s recently opened Manhattan showroom, an impressive 4,500-square-foot loft in NoHo. “There’s functionality to every piece, but stylistically, we intentionally drew from several distinct eras,” the designer explains.

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Shot in a 1962 Edward Killingsworth home, the campaign channels both past and present. “It was interesting to see how the pieces worked in the home, scale-wise and color-wise,” the Expert notes. “It came together in a magical way.”

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