Photography: Freunde von Freunden venture into the studio of set designer Rhea Thierstein

Will looking into artist’s studios ever get boring? I think not, and neither do Freunde von Freunden who make this activity their profession. The Berlin collective travel to the homes and workplaces of some of the world’s most quietly spectacular people who choose to adorn their little nests with beautiful objects, and take pride in things such as ancient rugs, houseplants and hanging crystals.

Recently they travelled to the studio of famed set designer Rhea Thierstein in north London, where they were shown around her enviable mezzanined workspace crammed full of curious knick knacks that have in some way been part of her career so far. Enormous spiders, boxes of fabric, toy lizards, doll houses and well-read reference books are poked into every corner of the space, allowing us to see a little of what inspires Rhea to create the wonderful work that she does. If your studio isn’t as personal and as telling as this, you’re potentially doing something wrong.