Seven Studio lends a modern, gritty edge to traditional Mallorcan stone carving

When artist Diego Sánchez Barceló and art director Alex Robertson Dunlop launched Seven Studio, they both relocated – Sánchez Barceló from London and Robertson Dunlop from New York – to Mallorca. Not an established creative capital, perhaps, but a place rich in craft history, which informs the studio’s stripped-back, stone-hewn, quintessentially Mediterranean aesthetic, infused with a brutalist edge.

Their atelier is located in the duo's home, and serves as the birthplace of objects that range from sculptures and homeware to collectible stone furniture and large-scale artworks commissioned for public and private spaces. Each piece is hand-carved from locally sourced stone.

Seven Studio’s ‘Brutal’ stool, for example, is formed by chipping away at a solid block of stone, with visible dents and tool marks giving it an almost primal quality. Similarly, the ‘Stone Glass Moment’ glass series is crafted from sea stones and, as such, blends art and functionality. The ‘Lit Stone’, a lighter case, is also made from hand-carved limestone and sandstone.

The studio has been commissioned to create tables hewn from pink Portuguese marble as well as the stone signage for Hotel Corazón in Mallorca (whose terrace restaurant was recently reimagined by Tatjana von Stein) – both designs echoing the rugged contours of the surrounding Tramuntana mountains. Sánchez Barceló and Robertson Dunlop were also enlisted by von Stein’s Club Làlia in Palma, producing the ‘Emotional’ bench, crafted from Felanitx marés, a local Mallorcan sandstone.

The different backgrounds of the founders bring a unique synergy to Seven Studio: Robertson Dunlop, originally from Australia, honed her creative vision in the fashion world, working with US Vogue editor Camilla Nickerson and spending over a decade with Dries Van Noten, where she contributed to more than 40 runway shows. Her passion for print and physical media culminated in a self-published photo book featuring collaborations with artists like Trajal Harrell, an endeavour that ultimately inspired the formation of Seven Studio.

After 15 years’ working in digital visuals, Sánchez Barceló returned to Mallorca to reconnect with his roots and the hand-carving tradition passed down by his father. His ability to integrate precise digital design methods with the raw materiality of hand-carved stone is central to the modern-meets-traditional ethos of Seven Studio.

The tactile works represent a compelling fusion of heritage and contemporary creativity, rooted in Mallorca’s rich traditions and yet boldly pushing artistic boundaries.