Tell us a little bit about Otto Studio, how did it come to be?
Otto Studio is a women-led, design-forward small business created by us, Hannah and Jen.
We founded Otto Studio in 2020 with a mission to help renters and homeowners find joy in their space. Driven by a love of art and design, we create unique prints designed in-house and collaborate with artists and influencers to help everyone love the space they’re in.
We know all too well how our home spaces are increasingly multi-purpose – we’re taking Zoom calls, yoga classes, hosting game nights, building businesses, raising kids, spoiling pets, pursuing hobbies, and moving through whatever life hands us. Our spaces should grow and change along with us, and with Otto Studio you can find easy-to-use wallpaper that helps you create a space that’s you.
Otto Studio operates on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), səlil̓wətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Stó:lō (Stolo), and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) peoples, otherwise known as Vancouver, BC.
What trend are you most excited about for 2023?
We’re excited to see more and more people embracing color – whether in maximalist decor schemes, or by injecting some fun and energy with smaller pops of it. It’s also exciting to see people being less concerned about fitting their style into a particular box, and instead letting their homes be more expressions of themselves and their histories.
Where do great ideas come from?
Through our collaborations, we partner with artists and influencers and are constantly blown away by their creativity. Inspiration comes in so many forms and we’re so lucky to work with such a diverse range of talented, creative humans!
What makes a home a happy place?
Designer and writer Ingrid Fetell Lee talked to people about what brings them joy and identified ten aesthetic traits that define the feeling. You can use these traits as a recipe to bring more joy into your own home.
You can find energy, freedom, surprise, renewal, and round shapes in our Otto X Tay BeepBoop collection. Then expand into abundance, harmony, transcendence, or magical mystery in your favorite room. Choose one for an accent wall, or combine them to build your own personal joy palace. Then expand your search for joy to furniture, floor coverings, throw pillows, and anywhere else in your place that could use a splash of color, pattern, and shape.
There are two ways that decorating your space is good for you:
- The process
a. It feels good to use physical effort to complete a task. DIY and reno’ing your space can relieve stress and build confidence. One of our customers sent us an email after their install and said, “I feel like superwoman!”. We love hearing that feedback! - The end result
a. Your home space has a huge impact on your mental health and happiness. We are in our homes much more and it’s so important to live in a space that is a reflection of who we are.
What led you to this industry?
We’re coming out of a long period of a spare, minimalistic aesthetic. While we love that too, what we’re craving now, culturally, is fun, expressiveness, texture and color. Being able to offer something that helps people love the space they’re in while being flexible enough for the reality that we might need something different in a year or two’s time – that was attractive to us.
There was a gap in the marketplace for people who wanted home decor options that are bold, fun and bright.
What makes Otto Studio unique?
We’re a contemporary wallpaper brand with the mission of creating artful spaces, anywhere. We believe everyone should be able to curate their space irrespective of whether they own or rent it. Our unique designs are renter-friendly, removable, repositionable, and offer PVC-free options. Our wallpaper quality is also best-in-class!
Who outside of your industry inspires you?
Iris Apfel for her bold style. Bjork for her ability to reinvent herself constantly. Sofia Coppola for her sensitivity. Kathleen Hannah for her rebelliousness. AOC for her conviction. And the late Betty White–for living life her own damn way, and being hilarious the whole way through.
What decisions have been the keys to your partnership?
Part of the reason why we work so well together is that we know failure is part of the journey, and that never failing means you’re never trying anything new. It’s been a longer road than we anticipated to launch Otto, but creating a business during a pandemic is no small feat.
What has surprised you along the way? What are you learning that you did not expect to be learning?
As entrepreneurs and owners of a small business, there are always going to be competing priorities. Getting really clear on the most important is a skill one needs to master as an owner. It doesn’t have to be perfect before you launch a business or idea.
For more information, visit https://thisisottostudio.com/ , or follow Otto Studio on Instagram at @_ottostudio, TikTok @_ottostudio and Pinterest @thisisottostudio
HABITAT is proud to confirm Otto Studio as a 2023 Exhibitor at the National Hardware Show!