SUBSTUDIO is a design firm founded in 2015 by Ingrid A. Schmidt and Hannah Dewhirst.
The partners began their collaboration during their graduate studies at Cranbrook Academy of Art and now serve as Assistant Professors at the University of Kentucky’s College of Design in Lexington. Grounded in spatial design, they craft immersive, sensorial environments that engage the body and recalibrate perception. Their built work and pedagogy foreground the soft elements of space—light, color, pattern, texture, and atmosphere.
A core area of expertise lies in custom rugs and wallcoverings. SUBSTUDIO has designed and installed more than 3,500 square feet of tufted rugs for international fashion houses such as Bottega Veneta and Burberry, as well as for exhibitions and cultural institutions across the United States.
Their bespoke surfaces explore the expressive and technical limits of the medium, often invoking optical play and spatial illusion. Through this material-driven approach, SUBSTUDIO seeks to expand how surfaces shape experience. Ultimately, their work invites viewers to slow down, look more closely, and inhabit space with renewed curiosity.
SUBSTUDIO has limited works available for direct purchase and is able to offer customization for trade professionals. For inquiries, please contact: studio@substudio.co
SUBSTUDIO Selected Clients
Burberry
Bottega Veneta
Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati
Red Bull Music Academy
SUBSTUDIO Selected Exhibitions
Matter and Method (2025), Detroit Month of Design, Detroit
dopaMINE (2025), Second Story Gallery, Lexington
Blink Festival (2022), CincyNice Social House, Cincinnati
Never Normal (2020), Wasserman Gallery, Detroit
Support! (2019), Columbus Center for Art and Design
