Nearly 10 years after its founding, the design studio formerly known as Studio Giancarlo Valle is doing something that few marketing consultants would ever recommend: changing its name. Having developed a reputation for designing clean yet cozy spaces and furniture, the New York studio founded by Jane Keltner de Valle and Giancarlo Valle is rebranding as Valle de Valle. The new moniker, they say, more clearly expresses both partners’ contributions to their shared project.
“Studio Giancarlo Valle had a place and reputation,” Jane says of the firm’s previous title. “We felt that what we’re doing is a partnership, so we took the first name out and added ‘de Valle’—we love the symmetry of it.” Giancarlo chimes in, “Jane realized early on that this could be our shared path, creatively and personally.”
The duo met at a holiday party two decades ago—Jane was situated in the fashion world at Teen Vogue before moving on to become style director at AD. Giancarlo had arrived in New York and was cutting his teeth at SHoP Architects.
That fateful run-in was the spark that ultimately led to the pair’s impressive rise. Over the years, Jane’s relationships across the design industry expanded the studio’s reach, bringing in projects that blurred the lines between architecture, interiors, furniture, and art. Giancarlo, meanwhile, zeroed in on the minutiae of design (literally—he is known for his dollhouse maquettes), delving deep into collaborative projects with everyone from Seventh House Gallery to Nordic Knots.
In 2024, the pair unveiled Casa Valle, their Tribeca-based gallery where clients and admirers could immerse themselves in the duo’s aesthetic, defined by contrasting textures and a warm palette. This past May, they mounted an exhibition anchored by a limited-edition reissue of Antoni Gaudí’s iconic Batlló chair in collaboration with BD Barcelona. The thoughtful reimagining of the Modernisme staple is trademark Valle de Valle: sensitive to the design’s history without being beholden to it.
While the pair prepares for the studio’s official 10th anniversary next fall, they’re also focused on a slate of new projects and a forthcoming book from Rizzoli. Between private residential work everywhere from London, Singapore, St Barts, and Mexico City to New York’s Upper East Side, Jane and Giancarlo are fielding some of their most high-profile and ambitious commissions yet: designer Ulla Johnson’s forthcoming Madison Avenue flagship, a wine bar in downtown Manhattan, and the total transformation of a 500-acre island in the Bahamas. Partnering with Johnson is especially personal for Jane. “It feels like a full-circle moment,” she says. “Ulla and I have known each other for a long time, and she’s such a thoughtful collaborator.”
As Valle de Valle evolves to meet the future, Jane and Giancarlo are staying nimble—and in lockstep. The rebrand “speaks to the way we work,” Giancarlo concludes. “Clients—and future clients—want to work with both of us, and our name is emblematic of that.”
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