Mi Casa | Mary Jane Bolton

For Mary Jane aka MJ Bolton, founder of design studio Twenty One Tonnes, home is both a feeling and a practice, enriched by stories gathered across continents. From Vancouver to Ghana to Los Angeles, her spaces reflect a layered, thoughtful blend of tradition and modernity, where every object carries intention.

In this conversation, MJ invites us into her world: a home where natural materials, inherited pieces, and sculptural forms live side by side, and where lighting is not just functional but a quiet form of art. With a background steeped in design and a reverence for handmade processes, she shares how home can become a space of meaning, beauty, and calm—especially when we choose to live with what matters most.

SHOP THE LOOK

1/ Forma #1 Runner 2/ Lara Cushion 3/ Classica XL Lumbar Cushion #12 4/ Monte Throw 5/ Esther Rug 6/Classica Cushion #7

Your home feels so layered and considered. What are some pieces in your space that you love most?

Thank you! My Marcel Breuer dining chairs were inherited from my parents’ home where I grew up in Vancouver. I love the puffy chair by Faye Toogood, my Noguchi lamp and a newer addition Frama’s aluminum table. And of course my Twenty One Tonnes casita lamps.

From Vancouver to Ghana to LA—how have your travels shaped your sense of home?

I’m inspired by how people create meaning in their homes in all the places I’ve visited. I grew up in a home where design was very important, and stories were told about the provenance and the designers of the pieces we lived with. And I think northern Ghana has a lot to teach about a sense of home, from the geometric painted houses – which serve as spiritual protection and family storytelling – to the integration of traditional craft into everyday living spaces. These are not just decorative choices but expressions of culture and identity.

Pampa and Twenty One Tonnes share a deep appreciation for craftsmanship and natural fibres. How do these shared values show up in your home?

I truly believe that the way things are made creates an energy that we feel and live with in our homes. Incorporating natural materials and traditional craft into a home contributes to healthier living spaces for ourselves, its production is safer for the people working with those materials, and its fabrication is less harmful to the natural environment.

Do you have any rituals that help mark the shift between work mode and home mode?

Walk upstairs and unplug!

What role do natural materials play in how you style and live in your home?

I gravitate toward natural materials because they create a more calming, grounding environment. I think wood, plant fibers, and wool not only add tactile richness and visual warmth, but they also invite a slower, more intentional way of living.

We love how your brand blends functionality with art. What’s something in your home that’s incredibly useful and beautiful?

All the lighting we make is useful and beautiful. I love lighting because it’s functional sculpture—it serves the essential purpose of illumination while making a statement through form and material. Each piece transforms a space with the quality of light it provides and through its sculptural presence.

Can you describe what drew you to the Pampa piece you chose?

I love the large Esther area rugs – they are so cozy and textural, not to mention beautifully crafted.

How do you approach decorating a space—do you follow instinct, function, or feeling first?

I would say instinct first. Every space wants something different, but I do often start with a rug!

Finally, what does home mean to you?

This is something that I’ve thought about quite a bit since the recent fires here in LA. Even though I’m such a collector, home is actually not about collecting physical things. Home is about family and community, safety and comfort.