About Charles

Charles Lethaby is a British artist and designer working across writing instruments, lighting and collectible objects.

A graduate of Central Saint Martins, Charles established his independent studio in 2014. His work combines precision engineering with a minimalist approach to form, material and detail, with pieces individually designed and developed in his studio.

Early work focused predominantly on sculptural lighting, including the Elara collection, which was later commissioned by British fashion brand Hobbs for its Christmas store windows across the UK. Since then, Charles has created more than 150 products and worked with clients including Hobbs, DoubleTree by Hilton and Dirty Martini. His work has also been stocked by leading design retailers around the world, including Heal’s in London, ECC in New Zealand and Nordiska Galleriet in Stockholm.

Today, the Lethaby collection encompasses precision-machined writing instruments, limited editions, collectible artworks and lighting. Materials including aluminium, titanium, brass, stainless steel, glass and leather are selected for their inherent character and developed into objects designed to be used, handled and kept.

Alongside the permanent collection, Charles produces small-batch and individually numbered editions exploring subjects ranging from architecture and science to mathematics, typography and cultural history.

Each Lethaby piece begins with an idea and is developed with an emphasis on material, proportion and the details of how an object is made.