I’m from Sardinia, Italy. Mat is from Southern California.
MAGAZINE · INTERVIEW
Ohla Studio
OHLA STUDIO is a multidisciplinary design practice founded in 2017 by Giulia Zink and Mat Trumbull, specializing in art direction, interior design, landscape design, and creative consultancy. Working across residential, hospitality, retail, and cultural projects, the studio develops environments that are rooted in place, shaped by narrative, and enriched through close collaboration with artisans and local makers.
Drawing inspiration from centuries of craft traditions and regional knowledge, OHLA STUDIO reinterprets age-old practices through a contemporary lens. Their work uncovers the character of overlooked places and forgotten techniques, creating authentic spaces and experiences that balance heritage with innovation, familiarity with discovery.
Let's know more about
Interview
Where were you born and where are you from?
What is your first memory connected to the art world?
G: A painting that was gifted to my parents when I was born.
M: Hiroshige 100 views of Edo.
Have you always worked in the art/design field?
G: Yes, my very first job was guiding tourists through private art collections in Venice. I was commuting every day from Vicenza. The train breaking the early morning fog over the lagoon is one of my most precious memories.
M: No, landscape design.
What led you to design creation?
It became a vehicle to explore conversations in art architecture and design.
How would you describe your creative process and its influences?
G: My influences have been very much driven by the nostalgia from my own land. My creative process is giving shape to conversations in art and design that have been vibrant and inspiring. M: Honor your curiosity
Could you describe a typical day of your work?
I would love to say that is less dealing with admin and shipping problems than what actually is. The creative thinking happens outside of the studio. The studio is where ideas comes to reality.
Why did you choose the specific materials you work with?
Attraction. And the commitment to use local materials. An effort to be purposeful.
What are the technical particularities of your creations?
The beauty of handmade work. No one piece is exactly the same as the other. All pieces are unique and slightly different.
What advice could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works?
Honor your curiosity.
If your works had to belong to a design movement, how would you define it?
I have no interest in classifying our work.
What designers and artists have influenced you?
Giacometti, Brancusi, Nivola, Branzi, Scarpa, Ponti, Sarfatti, Owens, Vincenzo de Cotiis.
What contemporary designers do you appreciate?
I appreciate it when you can recognize the designer across different collections, in their body of work over the years. Whoever is brave enough to stay true to their own voice, detached from industry trends.
What contemporary artists, in any kind of art, have you been inspired by?
Same as above plus a few musicians.
If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be?
Honor your curiosity.
“Honor your curiosity.”
The Questionnaire
The Questions
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust.
Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde,
Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Being in love
What is your greatest fear?
Illness
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Selfishness
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Selfishness
Which living person do you most admire?
My husband, my friends
What is your greatest extravagance?
Loyalty
What is your current state of mind?
Suspended
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
–
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Curiosity
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Curiosity
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“One last thing”
Which talent would you most like to have?
Singing, dancing, painting
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Being more informed
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My family
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A wild cat
Where would you most like to live?
On an olive grove facing the ocean on the coast of Sardinia
What is your most treasured possession?
Some art pieces and a piece of jewelry from my grandmother
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Envy
What is your favorite occupation?
–
What is your most marked characteristic?
Loyalty
What do you most value in your friends?
Sense of humor, honesty, generosity
Who are your favorite writers?
Murakami, Chandler, Borges
Who is your hero of fiction?
Haruki Murakami
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Aristotle
Who are your heroes in real life?
Our family
What are your favorite names?
Carlo, Andres, Evita, Rita
What is it that you most dislike?
Too general
What is your greatest regret?
I don’t have big regrets
How would you like to die?
Fast
What is your motto?
Leggerezza
“The creative thinking happens outside of the studio. The studio is where ideas come to reality.”
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