We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maria and Santiago Castillo and Brown a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Maria and Santiago, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
Our most meaningful project thus far has been our first Solo Show at Alcova Milan Design Week in 2023. This exhibition “Natura Oscura” was our first debut Solo Show During Milan Design Week; A Collection Of Sculptural Formations Inspired By Natural Phenomena, Challenging Us To Reconsider Our Relationship With The Natural World And To Explore New Ways Of Interacting With It.
The context for why it was meaningful is that this was our first time seeing our work curated all together, by us, in a single room, a complete vision of our work to date.
Of course as well the setting of Milan as a focal point for design globally, gave us an incredible energy and inspiration from being part of such a global event in design.
Also, some of the works on this exhibit were drawings we did when we first founded the studio years ago, and finally we got the chance to make them, and this was a big moment of confidence, excitement and trusting of the path we chose.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Forma Rosa Studio, a Brooklyn-based design studio co-founded by Maria Teresa Castillo and Santiago Braby Brown, is quickly gaining recognition for their distinctive perspective on the merging of digital design with hand craftsmanship cultures. Inspired by technology, art, and natural phenomena, the studio’s collectible design pieces, furniture and lighting, aim to connect us with our natural roots.
Both of their collections, “The Wave Form,” “Botryoidal” and now “The Drip” look to return to handcraft via digitally generated processes. The design process starts with examining a fractal-like pattern similar to nature and then materialized as functional lighting and furniture working alongside ceramic artisans in Maria’s birthplace of Peru. These unique pieces feature custom crystal glazes which react in unique ways during the firing process. The glazes accentuate the bulging forms and wavy patterns and create folds that capture deeper crystal hues and textures in each piece.
Forma Rosa Studio is expanding its presence in the industry, with a new body of work being introduced at Alcova during Milan Design Week 2023. In 2022, the studio unveiled its first line of collectible lighting at WantedDesign Lookbook Manhattan and at “This is America” exhibit at Alcova during Milan Design Week. The studio recently launched its first metaverse meditation space, “A Place for Introspection,” where their work debuted and merges nature and technology. The duo has also recently started a partnership with Love House NY, and Galerie.5 in Singapore. The studio’s first showroom space will be unveiled during NYCxDesign 2024.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Looking back at how we started our studio, makes us understand how resilient in this path we have been. We founded Forma Rosa during Covid 19, our dream was to create a design studio co-founded by both of us, husband and wife, during covid we got the opportunity to actually take the leap and start our studio. At the very beginning we didn’t have a lot of budget but we have a lot of ideas that we want to develop. We started with our vessels and planters. these pieces were crafted in our one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, this was a very challenging process where we would be slip-casting clay near our bedroom and bringing the pieces to be fired in our trolly cart a few blocks away where there was a ceramic facility. we had to bring them twice back and forth for each of the firing ( bisque and glaze). Once our pieces were ready we would wrap them up and put them back in the cart, and it all started by knocking on doors at local shops in Brooklyn and hoping they would carry them and stock them at their stores.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Through our journey as Forma Rosa, there have been a few moments where we made a big shift and pivot.
The first would be our career journeys as we have developed our studio. Our goal is to have our studio be our full-time position, and over the last 5 years we have slowly been working our way towards that goal. From moving our jobs closer in line with the goals of our studio, ( Maria working at a space that also has Ceramic Facilities, Santi working in Interior Design to understand the industry better ), and also moving towards part-time and more remote contracting positions so that we can focus as much as possible on our studio growth.
The second would be our shift in clientele and understanding our business structures as we keep moving forward. When we first started, we worked with wholesale to shops, and stores, as well as a lot of direct to consumers. As we have developed we are shifting towards working directly with Interior Designers, as well as hospitality projects, and galleries. This shift puts us in a more tailored role, where we can customize our designs for the clients needs and even create unique works based on their interests.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.formarosastudio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/formarosastudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/formarosastudio/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forma-rosa-studio
- Twitter: https://www.x.com/formarosastudio
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@formarosastudio
- Other: For Inquiries please reach out to : [email protected]
Image Credits
All photos by Joe Kramm, in exception of Image “Forma_Rosa_Studio_Alcova 2023” by Jonathan Hokklo