OUR STORY

We are an independent designer/maker studio founded by British designer Diana Allen and visual artist Holly Francesca. We make considered contemporary design, beautifully made to last, inspired by modernist art and architecture.

Our respective backgrounds in sculpture and photography, graphic design and typography create collections that may appear diverse but always originate in drawing and the highest quality sustainable materials - currently ceramic, stainless steel, cotton rag paper and natural color pigment.

Experimentation with color, form, materials and making techniques leads our design process - origami folding techniques applied to stainless steel for Vertex jewelry, intricate detail etched in matt and polished stainless steel for Toolbox jewelry, natural color pigment combined with found organic materials for Eclipse prints, the interplay of hand drawn calligraphy and typography for Union ceramics.

Having founded Whitebeam Studio in Brooklyn New York nine years ago, we are now based in London’s Clerkenwell where all our products are designed and developed. Our architectural jewelry and art prints & cards are made by hand at our studio, ceramics are handmade in limited quantities working with a family-run pottery in Staffordshire, northern England.

Whitebeam Studio takes its name from ‘Whitebeams’, the home of Holly’s maternal great-grandparents. English whitebeam trees lined its driveway and the jewelry and textiles designed by her great-grandmother were an inspiration for founding Whitebeam Studio.

‘There can be no understanding between the hand and the brain unless the heart acts as mediator.’ Metropolis 1927 Fritz Lang

Holly Francesca | co-founder
Holly has a visual arts background. Raised in London, she is a graduate of The Cooper Union School of Art in New York. She specializes in fine art photography and sculpture and exhibits in London, New York and at hollyallencooper.com. As a designer, her grounding in metalwork and ceramics led her to adapt sculpting techniques to the design and construction of architectural jewelry, followed by interiors products and co-founding Whitebeam Studio as Creative Director.

Diana | co-founder
As a graphic designer, typographer and art director, Diana’s previous London studio specialized in branding and exhibition design for architects, galleries and museums across Europe. As interior architecture commissions for her minimalist work increased, she looked toward a more holistic hands-on design practice, which ultimately led to co-founding Whitebeam Studio in 2013.

Mica & Solo
When we founded Whitebeam Studio we also adopted two sick kittens that were unlikely to survive. Unrecognizable today, Mica lives with Holly and Solo with Diana, they each come to work with us and regularly assist with the running (literally) of the design studio. To their displeasure, access to the production and packing studios is barred to protect humans with allergies.