A weave of time: Studio Jaia

At the Made in Mallorca exhibition, a wooden bench named Puput with a simple frame and a hand-woven geometric pattern caught my attention. Studio Jaia, handcrafted furniture made in Palma de Mallorca, read the label. I was curious to learn more about the brand and the woman behind it. So I met Anna Lena Kortmann at her atelier. And she told me the story of Studio Jaia and how Berlin and Palma inspire her work.

Puput, for example, is the Mallorcan name for hoopoe, the colorful bird you frequently meet when you’re hiking in the Tramuntana. His wild orange mane reminded Anna Lena of the Berlin punks with their mohawks. A humorous reference to the city where she had been living and working as interior architect for more than a decade. Until one day her love of classic Mallorcan craftsmanship led her to Cordats Guillem in Llucmajor, one of the few traditional wicker weavers left on the island.

She decided to learn this craft from scratch. And eventually founded her own manufactury in Palma, Studio Jaia. Today, Anna Lena’s spacious atelier in Pere Garau is both creative studio and workshop. Where she designs and manufactures all of her unique pieces. “Thinking with my hands” is how she describes her new profession, aiming at the sustainable production of durable high-quality products.

Studio Jaia’s furniture is usually custom-made, so you can choose between different colors and traditional patterns. The patterns bear names like Mia, Lis, Lore, or Marisa. Names of women who played a role in Anna Lena’s life, one way or another. Meanwhile, you find Anna Lena’s stools and benches in select hotels on the island. The last project was for Nou Baleares, the chic boutique hotel in her neighborhood.

And she recently started an exciting cooperation with 2Monos, another young manufactury from Mallorca. They create steel frames handcrafted in their workshop near Campos, which are then handwoven by Anna Lena in her own studio. Very minimalist, very mid-century, very cool.