Terry Crews, the former NFL player, actor, and designer, has released his second furniture collection with Bernhardt Design, available online and in stores now. The new Elevation collection features a system of tables and benches that can be grouped together or used individually. “When I started sketching, I was inspired by the concept of layering and overlapping vertical and horizontal planes," said Crews in a statement. "From a distance or aerial perspective, Elevation embodies a modern metropolis showing the highs and lows of buildings in a cityscape.”

The Elevation drum table. Courtesy of Bernhardt Design

The 30-piece collection includes two- and three-seat cushioned benches with bronze or matte-black aluminum legs, upholstered ottomans, and round and square drum tables (in walnut or oak with laminate or Corian tops) with integrated technological features like charging stations. “The beauty of Terry’s collection is that it works well together as a body of work, but the individual elements integrate wonderfully with so many other types of furniture and settings," Jerry Helling, president of Bernhardt Design, said in a statement. "He created a group of product that touches all market segments, from corporate, to public space, and retail, as well as hospitality and residential."

The Elevation ottomans. Courtesy of Bernhardt Design

Crews, who grew up in Flint, Michigan, learned to draw and construct Styrofoam models at a young age and won art awards for ice sculptures he created. During and after his NFL career, he continued to explore this passion for art and design, which ultimately led him to the Bernhardt collaboration. For his inaugural collection in 2017, Crews looked to ancient Egypt for inspiration: "I began envisioning what modern contemporary furniture would look like if Egypt was the dominant world power: What would an evening in a luxurious, modern Egyptian palace look like?" Helling was impressed with Crews's historical knowledge and love of art and design—and that he actually sketched, painted, and drew himself. Of the five initial furniture pieces, Helling said in a statement: "The ideas were so strong that it was difficult to select which products to develop . . . which is extremely unusual in any product development process."