Designer personalities shine in Studio M’s collaborative collections
Partnership | Sep 10, 2024
At Studio M, designers are part of the family. A division of Maxim Group Companies, which was founded 55 years ago by Jacob Sperling, the luxury Los Angeles lighting brand is directed today by the next generation: five siblings who oversee everything from creative development to product placement in a growing number of showrooms across the country. In its fixtures, Studio M aspires to intertwine architectural precision, technological and material innovation, and fashion and entertainment trends. But if, despite its burgeoning market presence, the company defies easy categorization, that’s all part of the mission. An incubator of surprising collaborations, Studio M prides itself on putting its partner designers—and their distinctive aesthetics—first.
“We want their personalities to thrive; we want to celebrate them,” says Adena Sperling, marketing director at Maxim (and one of the aforementioned scions). “As a family business, we don’t follow a cookie-cutter factory system, and that extends to how we approach talent.” Often, Studio M partnerships begin with a stand-alone piece at a showhouse or retail outlet to test the waters—Sperling likens it to “dating.” Then, if the chemistry feels right, comes the “marriage.” The company works closely with the designer to create an entire collection: selecting unexpected materials, addressing market needs, perfecting sketches, testing prototypes. “We start by establishing the relationship, and the relationship is the foundation of everything,” she adds. Currently, Studio M’s meticulously curated designer lines vary in style from ’70s-era retro to modern Brutalism and glam opulence, but no matter the look, they are always true to the designer’s unique imprint—the only connective through line being the high quality of craftsmanship and innovation.
With more designer “spouses” waiting in the wings—some as far-flung as Paris and Berlin—Studio M plans to keep expanding its portfolio of lighting viewpoints. “We’re drawn to designers who are amusing, nice, loving and smart,” says Sperling. Here, she describes the different styles of the first four to be welcomed into the family.
RYAN SAGHIAN
Expertly pairing the raw and the refined, Saghian creates pleasingly contradictory pieces. His Shroud series appears to feature artfully crumpled paper shades—sometimes supported by triangles of travertine—but closer inspection reveals them to be made of hand-molded metallic mesh. The rippled, sheets-in-the-wind “fabric” of his Curtain Call assortment is actually crafted from plaster. This intriguing trompe l’oeil interplay of permanence and fluidity has garnered the Los Angeles designer international acclaim and a celebrity clientele.
“His vibe is very California chic: structural, sculptural and organic, in muted, neutral tones,” says Sperling. The hands-on, detail-oriented collaboration entailed architectural drawings, clay molds, and its share of trial and error. “Plaster can be challenging to work with, but the end result is like a ballerina pirouetting—it’s very choreographed,” she adds. This sense of movement can be seen in all of Saghian’s designs, serving as a counterpoint to the heavy Brutalist bent he frequently embraces. “Right now, Ryan is in the midst of a metamorphosis,” continues Sperling. “For such a young man, he has already accomplished so much, and now he’s saying, ‘I’m not down and dirty anymore; I’ve done that. This is my time to be sophisticated’”—or Unapologetically Chic, as the title of his book proclaims. From “curtains” to “shrouds” to candlelike Nomad wall sconces, Saghian’s Studio M styles embody this transformation. “We loved going on the journey with him, the unveiling of his new self,” says Sperling.
NINA MAGON
Studio M’s premier designer partner, Magon ups the luxe factor with precious stones like alabaster and rose jade, precision-cut glass ovals in pinks and greens, and sleek finishes of aged brass, brushed bronze, and gunmetal gray—with the occasional leather casing stitched into the mix. Her octopine Contour pendants stretch their many slender arms across the ceiling. Metal meets marble in her portable New Age desk lamp, which stands like a miniaturized, art deco adaptation of mystical Stonehengian slabs. And faceted crystal Medallion sconces 8 inches in diameter give the impression that a giantess may have momentarily misplaced her diamond engagement ring on the wall.
“Nina’s concept for her first collection with us was a jewelry box. Introduced as our custom collaboration in powder-coated pink at the 2021 Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Palm Beach, the Contour design mimics pearl necklaces, while the Zeppelin series looks like gilded glass cases,” says Sperling. The designer’s dichroic pieces in particular—Trance, featuring glass panels, and Reverie, rendered in acrylic—catch natural light even when the LED bulb is turned off. “Blue tones, pink tones, it dances with you,” she says. Adding a Salvador Dalí–esque surrealism to more recent designs, Magon clusters iridescent “bubbles” in Dreamer pendants. Her Locket series suspends what could be opaque serpent eggs of milky marble glass from spiky strands of brass. Striae Arya, a veined material made from recycled marble and glass, incorporates a sustainable component into the glam, multi-award-winning assortment.
CéSAR GIRALDO
The Colombia-born, West Hollywood–based designer’s Gusto collection arranges geometries of blown glass into curious silhouettes that would not be out of place in the laboratory of a mad yet brilliant scientist—or the cozy, Arts and Crafts library of a contemplative poet. Cast in either clear glass with cloudlike swirls of white or gradient glass in seductive amber and smoky tones, the translucent forms are distinguished by handmade dimples that refract LED lighting housed in thin white acrylic tubes encased by larger transparent glass cylinders that run through the center of each piece. The astonishing concoctions appear to float as they diffuse omnidirectional light.
“The dimple took a couple of months to get right,” says Sperling of Giraldo’s signature detail. He initially conceived of the collection as part of his redesign of a $60 million dollar home in Brentwood, California, that was once inhabited by Marilyn Monroe, referencing the iconic bombshell’s famous hourglass figure for his shapes. In contrast to the actress’s petite stature, though, the Gusto floor lamp stands nearly 6 feet tall. “It’s a substantial piece,” Sperling continues. “It’s making a statement, but it’s not screaming. It simply draws you to it.” Like a siren, some might say. A second “architectural and beautiful” series with the designer is on the way.
MAT SANDERS
A veteran of design media, with credits both behind the scenes and on the front covers of top shelter publications, Sanders imbues his pieces with a compelling sense of narrative as only an experienced storyteller can. Catchphrases in his lighting lexicon include “casual,” “classical” and “playfully chic,” with inspiration culled from Parisian brasseries, Danish midcentury decor and comfy Californian abodes. If the crisp, curved, perforated brass panels of some of his pendants and sconces subconsciously trigger a case of the munchies, well, that’s no accident.
“When he was creating those styles, he’d say, ‘It’s like a potato chip.’ So that’s what we called it: Chips—very tongue-in-cheek,” says Sperling. The series earned an Adex Platinum Award in 2023, proving the snack’s universal appeal. Sanders’s use of brass, often framing bulbous white globes, evokes a warm 1970s aura too, the relative heft of the metal components softened by the moony, luminous orbs.
“With Mat, the light source is always hidden, so that you wonder, ‘Where is the glow coming from?’” she explains. Intersecting, asymmetrical ribbed glass discs framed by matte black iron offer a different kind of scrim: In the Crux series, these circles filter the light emitted by the tubular bulbs tucked behind them, creating an ambiance that’s retro, industrial and mysterious at once. “On or off, it’s mesmerizing, like an art piece,” says Sperling. “You can’t stop staring at it.”
This story is a paid promotion and was created in partnership with Studio M.
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