Matter of Stuff

Founded in 2014 by Italian architect-designers Simona Auteri and Sofia Steffenoni, Matter of Stuff is a London-based creative studio and design brand dedicated to the advancement of 21-century craftsmanship.

Working across disciplines, Matter of Stuff cultivates and coordinates a community of designers, fabricators, filmmakers, and other talents to realize unique objects, installations, and architectural spaces. The studio’s ethos is heavily collaborative and experimental; Matter of Stuff strives to be a creative hub not just for artisans and designers but also for students and emerging designers. “We are a collaborative platform bridging the gap between the production and design worlds,” explain Auteri and Steffenoni.

The objects produced by Matter of Stuff’s East London atelier are unified by their chic finishes and quality materials, often combined with an ever-so-slightly offbeat design flair. The studio has garnered a respectable list of clients and showings, including the Kering and Mr. Pinault offices in central London in 2016 and, more recently, Fine Blooms, a luxury florist in Dubai, designed by Universal Design Studio.

The studio also curates a shoppable collection of furniture, lighting, and homewares, often commissioning pieces from outstanding international designers, such as UUfie, Ariel Zuckerman, and Olga Bielawska. Just one of a number of success stories coming out of the studio, the Echo Tables (2016) by UUfie and Toscari for Matter of Stuff have been exhibited by the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Arts and Design in Japan.

Steffenoni was born in Venice in 1983 and attended the University of Ferrara, graduating with a Master’s in Architecture in 2008. Auteri was born in Genoa in 1985 but grew up in Switzerland; she earned a Master’s in Architecture from the Academia di Architettura in Mendrisio in 2011. Both partners have traveled extensively and gained international work experience: Auteri at Heatherwick Studio in London and Kengo Kuma in Tokyo; Steffenoni at 3XN in Copenhagen and FOA and Acme in London. The pair met in London in 2013 through mutual professional acquaintances and established Matter of Stuff the following year.