OUR STORY
Altar began as a personal design philosophy created by Andrea Lewis. Growing up in a home where her mother lovingly tended to modest, beautiful altars, Andrea carried that ritual with her as she moved away for college and across the globe, making temporary spaces feel like home.
These humble curations became a grounding practice, a reflection of her identity, and a way to stay connected to her lineage. Altar is an extension of Andrea’s internal gallery: a space where generational heirlooms meet pieces sourced through secondhand markets, styled to tell a story.
The brand is an invitation for others to center the objects that represent who they are, where they come from, and what they cherish. Andrea believes this is the most authentic and compelling form of design.
She hopes to inspire people to treat their most prized possessions as staples in the home and to invest in future heirlooms that grow alongside their story.
Altar’s essence is proudly eclectic and multicultural, much like Andrea herself: the daughter of a renaissance Black American from Harlem and a Colombian-Venezuelan immigrant mother, raised in Berkeley, California, and shaped by a life of movement as a pilot’s daughter. Her worldview is deeply global, infused by time spent living in Tulum, Toulouse, and Paris, and honed by nearly three years assisting the Global Editorial Director of Architectural Digest.
Altar is the result of these lived experiences both personal and professional. Andrea is deeply grateful to build something that reflects where she comes from, and hopes it invites others to do the same.
Our Team
Andrea Lewis
is a graduate of the dual M.B.A. program at Central Saint Martins and Birkbeck, where she focused on brand strategy and business development and launched Altar. With a B.A. in Art History and World Languages from Lewis & Clark College, she has built a career at the intersection of media, design, and art—now working at Hearst Magazines.
Julia Abbonizio
is a Brooklyn-based art director and producer with a background in media production and editorial work as a Visuals Editor at Architectural Digest. She leads the creative direction of Altar and is driven by projects that spark new conversations, bridge cultural divides, and support the ethical growth of individuals, communities, and the planet.