Hidden Gems: Meet Andrea Claire of Andrea Claire Studio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Claire.

Hi Andrea, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up on Long Island. My mother came from the Netherlands to the United States for college and ended up marrying my American father a few years later. From a young age I was fascinated with making things and organizing space, which drove my mother a little crazy every time I decided the furniture needed to be rearranged again.

I went on to study art and architecture at Pratt Institute and got a B Arch and BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. Later I went for my Masters of Fine Art at the California Institute of the Arts. Early in my career I worked in the offices of Frank Gehry, Vito Acconci, and Rockwell Group among other design firms. Those years taught me how ideas move from drawing to reality. Over time, though, I found the long lead times and slow progress of architecture in practice somewhat frustrating and limiting to my creativity. I wanted a more direct relationship between an idea and the object itself, and more interaction with my clients. I also wanted a more direct way to make spaces exciting and joyful.

A residency at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas, in 2000 was a turning point. It gave me a deeper understanding of light and its capacity to act as a physical, spatial object, rather than simply a way to illuminate a space. Shortly afterward I started a small line of handmade lighting out of the back of my art studio. I would make pieces to order and sell them at The Future Perfect in Brooklyn. In 2008 I decided to go all in and began designing a lighting system that was flexible, hand-made and site specific. Andrea Claire Studio launched in 2011 with our first chandelier, debuting the work at ICFF in New York. The “invented geometry” of one of my abstract paintings from that period became my signature form, the Polyhedron, and led to my first system of mobile chandeliers. In the subsequent years this system has expanded to many configurations and three different materials. It continues to be one of our most popular products.

In 2019 I moved all of the studio’s design and production to Los Angeles, where we manufacture everything today from our expanded workshop in Frogtown, along the Los Angeles River.
I am still a New Yorker at heart, but Los Angeles has fundamentally reshaped my creative process. The quality of light here, and the closeness to the natural world, particularly to the ocean, give me a sense of peace that is hard to find anywhere else. My work lives in the space between architecture, sculpture, and light, and Los Angeles has proven to be the ideal place for those disciplines to come together.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Running a small independent design studio comes with its specific challenges, but it has been remarkably smooth. That doesn’t mean it was easy. It took a lot of work and concentration to do well, but it was never really bumpy, in retrospect. I led with my heart when designing the first pieces, and I still approach both the work and the business that way. As long as I keep doing that, things go well. When I started, it was the right thing for me at the right time, and I entered the market at a good moment. There have been many pivots and endless decisions, but I thoroughly enjoy running a business. The constant challenge is finding enough time for design work.

In the early days, I did everything myself in my Brooklyn studio. I was hands-on with every piece and every process: sales, purchasing, design, assembly, sanding, gluing, hand-casting porcelain, billing, trade shows. It was me and an occasional part-time helper, with a lot of trial, error, and refinement. Today our teams cover production, operations, design, sales, and marketing. Finding the right people was harder than making the work, but it has evolved well, and I’m very proud of how far we’ve come.
Moving from making everything myself to leading a team meant learning new leadership skills, and there was a real learning curve in that. Sharing the work while teaching and preserving the quality and intent behind every piece has been hard but rewarding.

The hardest undertaking was relocating all of our production from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. We had to move every process, rebuild our workshop, and keep projects on schedule for clients while we did it. We phased the move over a few years, and COVID hit in the middle of it, which brought its own challenges. For the first month there were no calls or emails. Then it was an onslaught, and we had to staff up quickly while navigating supply chain delays.

My background in architecture has helped at every stage. Because I was trained to integrate many systems and multiple needs into a unified whole, my problem solving skills are quite well honed. It also helps a lot in this business to understand the spatial, technical, and pacing requirements of interior designers and architects. I am able to anticipate issues, streamline specifications, and guide them through the realization of complex custom fixtures.

Since founding the studio in 2011, we have launched seven collections and built lasting relationships with interior design and architecture practices around the world. Most importantly, I hope our work has added beauty to people’s lives. That’s a great feeling.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Andrea Claire Studio is a Los Angeles–based practice creating sculptural lighting and
non-traditional chandeliers, handmade in small batches from its workshop in Frogtown along
the Los Angeles River. Working with materials including hanji paper, bamboo, porcelain,
fiberglass, glass, and brass, the studio approaches light as a sculptural medium at the
intersection of craft and architecture, with all pieces fabricated in-house.
Founded in Brooklyn in 2011, the studio has developed lighting for projects ranging from
private residences to large-scale architectural commissions. Its work has been specified by
internationally recognized firms including Yabu Pushelberg and Rockwell Group, as well as
interior designers Nicole Hollis and Alan Tanksley.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite childhood memories is from the beach on Long Island. We belonged to a beach club on Long Island Sound and during low tides I would float on a raft with my goggles on and my face just beneath the surface of the water. There was a long stretch of rocky/sandy shore and I would float for what felt like hours. I was captivated by that underwater world: the textures of the stones, the swaying seaweed, the little fish, hermit crabs and other small marine creatures moving through the dappled light and sand.
To this day, the ocean is an endless source of inspiration for my work, and I stay connected to it through surfing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.andreaclairestudio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreaclairestudio/

Image Credits
Headshot: Erin Simkin

AndreaClaireStudio_ProjectByMegCassidy: Photo by Malcolm Brown
AndreaClaireStudio_Porcelain_ProjectByRobertA.M.SternArchitects: Photo by Peter Aaron
AndreaClaireStudio_ProjectByThomasHamel: Trevor Tondro

All other photos by Andrea Claire Studio