JamesPlumb

JamesPlumb is a creative studio launched in London in 2009 by James Russell (born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1980) and Hannah Plumb (born in Surrey, England in 1981). Inspired by the overlooked, the timeworn, and the paradoxical—as well as “a love of unorthodox and unconventional beauty”—the studio creates one-off and limited-edition lighting and assemblages as well as interiors for commercial and private clients.

JamesPlumb’s often subtly humorous work spans art and design, and frequently repurposes or draws motivation from historic and found objects. Notable projects to date include Burnished Indigo (2014), a lighting and furniture collection inspired by a damaged 19^th-century leather sofa; Cupboard Steps (2013), which has a Georgian corner cupboard attached to a fragment of a medieval spiral staircase; as well as The One Room Hotel (2010), a pop-up hosted by menswear brand Hostem at the London Design Festival, which, by day, served as an exhibition space for the pair’s reimagining of historical objects, and as a hotel room by night.

Russell and Plumb met in 2000 while studying for their Bachelor’s degrees in Sculpture at Wimbledon School of Art, London. Both graduated with honors in 2003. After school, Russell and Plumb worked on individual projects from a shared studio in South London. At the same time, Plumb worked regularly for interior designer Filippa Naess, while Russell continued at Wimbledon School of Art, teaching foundation course students in the casting rooms and multidisciplinary workshops. In 2007, the couple began collaborating on unique commissions for interior designers, then collectors and other client, and formally opened their studio two years later. JamesPlumb initially operated out of their home’s garden shed and front room, before moving to an old bakery, and now an 1800-square-foot former water storage facility in South London, not far from their home.

JamesPlumb exhibits regularly during Salone del Mobile in Milan and the London Design Festival. The studio’s ongoing interior design collaboration with Hostem, including Menswear (2011), The Chalk Room (2012), and Upper Floors (2013), has garnered multiple awards, such as the Retail Interior Award from the INSIDE Awards at the 2014 World Festival of Interiors. In 2011, the studio was shortlisted for British Designer of the Year.