For Studioilse, a design partnership led by renowned British designer Ilse Crawford and her husband, industrial designer Oscar Peña, every collaboration draws strength from the couple’s own complementary dynamics.

“We have a different approach to design,” Crawford explains. “My focus is on the human experience and how it manifests in architecture and interior design for both residential and commercial projects. Oscar’s focus is more on the products themselves—how they function, their materiality, and how everything fits within the overall production system.”

Peña agrees. “Ilse is more interested in the meaning of things and how they work within an environment. My focus is on functionality, manufacturability, and the way things are made,” he says. “I feel a great sense of satisfaction when I am inside a factory.”

Crawford’s approach evolved from her experience as a design journalist. After a stint at the Architect’s Journal, Crawford became the founding editor of ELLE Decoration in 1989. She met Peña upon arriving at the Design Academy Eindhoven, where he led the Man and Activity department; Crawford founded and led the Man and Well-being department.

Before joining Studioilse full-time in 2015, the Colombian-born Peña was the Senior Global Creative Director at Philips Design Lighting. His interest in product design began in his 20s during a summer internship with Bill Stumpf, a veteran Herman Miller collaborator. “Bill taught me how to see design,” Peña recalls. With Stumpf, Peña learned to experience the materiality and physical aspect of objects, “feeling, producing, and deeply understanding the behavior of objects.”

The respect Crawford and Peña share for the human experience is central to every project undertaken by Studioilse. “Ultimately, design is a tool to enhance our humanity,” says Crawford. “The things and environments we create shape our culture, our character, and our behaviors. They are three-dimensional stories.” With their London-based team, Studioilse supports and enhances the lives and behaviors of everyone, facilitating human connection and bringing people together.

Studioilse seeks to balance commissioned projects with those that include a social dimension. On one hand, clients include the Ett Hem Hotel in Sweden, the First and Business Class Airline Lounges in Hong Kong, Soho House in New York, Wästberg, and a sustainable collection for Ikea. On the other hand, Studioilse’s goal of bringing beauty and dignity to the social care sector is put into practice at the community kitchen, Refettorio Felix, at St. Cuthbert’s Centre in London—a space serving the homeless and those living in isolation.

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