09/10/24
by Victoria Ritter
Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, Studio Designs’ art products offerings span from drafting and craft tables to table lighting and seating.
Founders Scott Maynes and Bob Hughes have a long history in the furniture business, having managed Studio RTA for many years. When Sauder Woodworking Co. bought Studio RTA and looked at eliminating the art furniture side of the business, Maynes decided it was time to start his own company around selling art furniture. Maynes realized his dream in 2007 with the backing of Hughes, who has been Studio Designs’ CEO ever since.
“It kind of started out as a passion project, because it was an opportunity to build a company and a brand around a very niche section of the furniture world,” said Jared Kasparian, product development and quality management at Studio Designs. Kasparian further stated how Maynes’ passion for crafting art furniture turned into an appreciation for the art industry. The company regularly exhibits at trade shows including Creativation by Namta and Creativeworld in Germany.
“He is a big supporter of Namta and has made a lot of great relationships in the art community,” Kasparian added. “Although he’s not an artist by trade, he appreciates it and loves being able to support the community with top-of-the-line art furniture.”
Today, business is going well at Studio Designs, according to Kasparian. While it has outlasted its main, old-school competitors, the company was one of the first sellers on Amazon to provide art furniture. Now the market has become more competitive, compelling Studio Designs to improve its approach to e-commerce.
“We are the last true importer of art furniture,” Kasparian stated.
Creatively fulfilling needs
Studio Designs’ catalog of roughly 200 products is divided into several imprints, each with its own focus area. The Futura Craft Station, which has been a part of Studio Designs since 2007, helped cement the company’s reputation in the art space and acquired Artograph in 2019. Studio Home offers a small line of residential furniture while Paws & Purrs specializes in pet furniture. The company introduced a sewing line called Sew Ready in 2017 to great acclaim.
“Some of our most popular products right now are sewing tables, cutting tables and fabric tables,” Kasparian stated. “In the last two years, it has outperformed the art category.”
The company’s most popular product currently is the Artograph Futura Light Table. Studio Designs collaborated with Artograph to combine the respective imprints’ furniture and light boxes. Since launching about four years ago, the light table has outsold some of Studio Design’s legacy products.
“Not only do you have an awesome work surface with plenty of storage and an adjustable top, but it has a light pad underneath that illuminates your surface and allows you to trace things more easily,” Kasparian said.
Studio Designs’ newest product will be a new digital projector with an arm mount clamp released under the Artograph line. The projector will be able to link to any device with a wi-fi connection and allow creatives to cast an image onto their material. While this will be Studio Designs’ fourth digital projector, it will be the most affordable. “We feel like it’s going to make our products more accessible to a sizable segment of the market,” Kasparian stated.
When designing products, the Studio Design team relies on customer feedback to see what customers need and are looking for in furniture. For example, one initiative the company has taken based on outside input has been to install more storage solutions such as shelves or drawers, even in its basic offerings.
“We’ve been in the space long enough that we have good relationships with art retailers and end users,” Kasparian stated.
Studio Designs further sets itself apart with its long-standing relationships with factories. Maynes has kept in contact with manufacturers he’s known before he founded Studio Designs. Its main network of factories is in China with two suppliers in Taiwan and Malasia.
The company offers wood and glass tables, all made with steel frames; while the glass is at least 8mm thick, the inch-thick wood is made of particle board or medium-density fiberboard. “We work with a top-10 factory in China when it comes to composite wood products,” Kasparian explained. “These days, true hard wood is very expensive and would put all of our products out of reach for a lot of folks. We found a happy medium between a product that is going to hold up over time but not break the bank.”
Furniture for all
Studio Designs continues to expand its catalog in a methodical way, collaborating with retailers to make sure products stand out to customers and fulfill their needs. Kasparian explained that the Studio Designs team understands that furniture is not the first consideration for artists or crafters, but the right equipment is essential to take projects to the next level.
“It complements the reason that people get into art in the first place,” he said. “They’re trying to create something, and we provide the space, tools and furniture to supplement that.”
Kasparian suggested that retailers can make the most of Studio Designs’ furniture by setting it up in their stores, filling the shelves with art and craft materials and being knowledgeable of the products. Studio Designs provides learning materials on request as well as deals on retail samples. “It’s an eye-catching display to see a beautiful craft or draft table demonstrated,” Kasparian said.
With a deep respect and consideration for artists, Studio Designs’ furniture is used by a wide range of customers. Its drafting and craft tables appeal to watercolor, oil and acrylic painters as well as old-school drafters. The Artograph line is a favorite among tracers, cartoonists and tattoo artists. Fine artists make use of its long-lasting, commercial grade easels.
“Craft and hobbies are infinite,” Kasparian observed. “There are all sorts of hobbies that require a decent workspace.”
