Behind the brand
Amsterdam-based Studio Roof produces recycled cardboard sculptures of all shapes and sizes inspired by nature, fantasy, art and people. The designs of the sculptures are unexpected (we love their beetles series!) and are designed to bring joy and color to your walls. The sculptures come flat-packed with simple yet meticulously designed diagrams to assist in their assembly (their packaging is almost as eye-catching as the creations themselves). The cardboard pieces are printed with plant-based vegetable inks and slot together seamlessly.
Meet the creators
Studio Roof’s founders, Ilya Yashkin and Romy Boesveldt, started playing with paper when they became the parents of three and observed the creative and colorful outcomes of their children’s playtime. They cherish the role that creativity and imagination play in all our lives and began working to bring insects, birds and dinosaurs to life through ready-to-assemble sculptures. Romy and Ilya (and their border collie Umka) split their time between the French countryside and the center of Amsterdam; two contrasting environments that fuel their creativity. The couple loves the energy of the city but also the natural vitality of the French woods and meadows. Their Amsterdam apartment is a riot of color-blocking, eclectic modern design, and vintage finds from their travels.
Recently the couple launched a sister company, Atelier Toit (literally Studio Roof in French), which produces limited-edition wood art pieces. Studio Roof’s experimentation and exploration over the years had led to an enormous catalog of shapes and colors as well as excess discarded material. As a result, Atelier Toit was born, with many of their one-off sculptures made from left-over pieces of wood hand-painted in their signature bright color palette. Studio Roof also just opened a store in the center of Amsterdam filled to the brim with their colorful creations from both companies. Romy and Ilya’s children are all grown up now but still play an important role in Studio Roof, building exhibition spaces, working on their website and creating Instagram content. Family, creativity and an abundance of color; all reasons to love Studio Roof and their menagerie of stunning sculptures!
e
Tales of discovery
We discovered Studio Roof’s whimsical world while on a trip to Toronto. Originally drawn to the bright colors and graphic shapes of their sculptures, we were even further intrigued by their product styling; here at Gretel we love paper and were enamored by Studio Roof’s vibrant styling, incorporating intricately cut leaves and flowers. We love the variety of available designs (meaning something for everyone), from tropical birds (great for us here in Miami!) to planes, and their new dinosaurs, unicorns and the gorgeous Tree of Life. We’ve had a great time slotting pieces together for photo shoots and pop-ups and can attest first hand that these statement pieces are easy on the hands and eyes!