This New Mexico-Based Studio Makes Sustainable One-of-a-Kind Pieces That Are Perfect for Small Spaces
There’s a reason people always advise against rushing to decorate your space. (It’s us. We’re people.) When you take your time and collect the right pieces, your home feels more layered, interesting, and personalized. You’ll know those just-right pieces when you find them — and we just found some great ones, especially for small spaces.
Submaterial is a small design studio with big ideas, creating one-of-a-kind decor by hand in Albuquerque, New Mexico. From wall art and mirrors to room dividers and the most captivating tabletop art objects, Submaterial designs decor that tells a story — all made with natural, sustainable materials like wool felt, cork, leather, and wood. It’s also an employee-focused company you can feel good about supporting, with living wages and good benefits.
Submaterial calls their products “intentional modern heirlooms,” and we understand why: They’re the sort of pieces that you’ll continue to cherish as your space’s style evolves. Their online shop offers a “ready-to-ship” section, which often includes limited or one-off items. We’re especially smitten with Submaterial’s wall art and decorative objects, which can give even the smallest space a where-did-you-get-that? moment. (Need something even more unique? Submaterial works with clients to customize their styles to go big and even smaller based on you and your space’s needs.) Here are a few of our favorites.
We can’t stop staring at the mesmerizing edges of this small but mighty mirror. As with Submaterial’s other designs, the modern shape and style is softened by natural material — wool felt — organically arranged. The felt strips are turned on their edges, creating a deep ribbed texture that you could almost fall into. The award-winning Wander is exactly why you take your time finding the right decor for your space: It takes an everyday functional item and elevates it into one-of-a-kind style.
Created by rotating, mirroring, and joining angular fields of wool felt, this wall panel has a soft modernism that can complement a range of decor styles. Each of the five ready-to-ship designs is graphic and precise, but the rich colors and organic material help them feel open and inviting, not standoffish. (If you look closely, there are also subtle variations in the surface height: an intriguing bit of tension.) Each design feels incredibly human too, like you can see the artist’s process.
The mesmerizing Ojo wall panels draw you in doubly: First it’s the concentric pattern of vibey colors and varying line weights that immediately give a space a sense of depth. Then it’s the softness of all those lines of felt, which creates a palpable sense of calm. These pieces would give a gallery wall a bold personality, but they’re also the type of art that makes a wall come to life all by itself. Ojo is available in more than 10 colorways, but it’s also customizable in more than 90 colors and any size.
The name alone is pleasing, to say nothing of the cheerful trees themselves! These tabletop darlings give a modern nod to natural forms, combining a warm wood base with a cool metal stem and 100 percent Merino wool felt in one of eight colors. (We especially like the white oak/indigo option above.) Sold in a set of three, they’re a sweet little grove that will make you smile year-round. Plus, with a little final assembly, it’s like you’re co-collaborating on an art project!