The studio
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Parvum Opus is an atelier-style artist’s studio founded by Erika Stefanutti and located outside of Detroit, Michigan. We’re privileged to have become a trusted resource for an aesthetically-minded global clientele, including prominent American and European interior architects and designers seeking unique, handcrafted works.
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We specialize in collaborating with our clients, building every object with meticulous attention to detail, from production to delivery. Our online shop was created to allow visitors to select among dozens of designs, each available in more than forty in-stock paper variations, including those from our own new collection,
PARVUM OPUS CARTA.
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A great deal of the joy in our work lies in creating unique, new pieces to share. Our range of products and fabrication techniques evolves continually in response to the needs of our clientele as well as inspirational material and design explorations undertaken in the studio. We look forward to expanding our offerings even further in the future, while maintaining the high level of craftsmanship and design for which the studio is known.
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Our name is inspired by the Latin term for a small work by an artist (Parvum: little, a trifle; Opus: an artistic work), and perfectly describes our approach to each project we undertake: small things, beautifully done. We truly enjoy attending to the smallest details of the functional and decorative objects we build, creating imaginative pieces that we hope will be delightful and lasting additions to our clients’ homes.
Parvum Opus is proud to be featured in:
Cabana Magazine, Elle Decor, Financial Times' How To Spend It,
Frederic Magazine, Harper's Bazaar UK, Homes & Antiques UK,
House Beautiful, House & Garden UK, Living, Etc. UK,
Luxe Magazine, MILIEU Magazine,
New England Home, Traditional Home, Veranda,
The Sunday Times Style Magazine, London,
The New York Times & The World of Interiors.
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STUDIO FOUNDER
Erika Stefanutti
Erika Stefanutti, the founder of Parvum Opus, is a Colombian American artist and designer based in Detroit, Michigan, where she and her husband raised their two sons. She is a life-long student of craft and decorative arts history, with a passion for art, travel, books and antiques, all of which inform the work undertaken in the atelier. Her love of traditional craft was formalized during her BFA studies at the University of Michigan, and further at Cranbrook Academy of Art where she earned her Master of Fine Arts degree.
A NOTE FROM ERIKA
​​Welcome to Parvum Opus. I'm Erika Stefanutti and I founded the atelier after working as a professional studio artist, having trained in the fields of metalwork, painting and printmaking. I’ve always held design and craft tradition in the highest regard, and it’s my great privilege to share my unique, handcrafted works -- and our new PARVUM OPUS CARTA paper designs with you here.
About fifteen years ago, I embarked on a study of traditional bookbinding and decorative arts history and began producing bespoke calendars, hand-bound books, desk accessories and art objects from my workspace in Michigan. The scope of the Parvum Opus studio project has evolved beautifully, and I now have the great privilege of sharing a wide array of unique, handmade objects with clients across the world. My work is inspired by architecture, the Arts & Crafts movement, the romance and intellectual curiosity of the Grand Tour, as well as by objects of vertu crafted by artisans across cultures, continents and centuries. These historical inspirations, along with continuous explorations into new materials and fabrication techniques, combine to create the studio's unique point of view. My sincere hope is that when you visit, you’ll enjoy a feeling of discovery and collaboration; that same wonder of exploring a new city and coming upon an atelier where you can have bespoke pieces crafted to your taste and impeccably delivered to your door.
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There is an intimacy to the handmade objects we live with and use in our homes, which I find to be profoundly fascinating: they carry great meaning in their physicality and the patina developed with years of use. With their presence, these special objects create a sense of home and humanity, and provide a connection to the artists that created them. William Morris, father of the Arts and Crafts Movement famously said, "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." I hope that when you bring my work into your homes, the enjoyment it brings will equal the enjoyment I have in designing and creating it for you. Thank you for your interest in Parvum Opus. If I can answer any questions about our process or any project you may have in mind, it will be my pleasure to assist.​
"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."
-WILLIAM MORRIS