What Studio Upstairs does

Studio Upstairs is a UK-registered charity (charity number 105890) founded in October 1988 by Douglas Gill, Claire Manson, and Jo Hill, and currently led by Managing Director Zlatinka Hristova. It operates three physical art studios in Bristol (Albion Dockside Estate), North London (Dalston — Bradbury Works), and South London (Croydon — 82 London Road, the registered address), delivering therapeutic art programs for adults aged 18+ experiencing mental health or emotional difficulties. Its core service is divided into two pathways: Full Studio Membership, providing open-access ongoing artistic practice for people with severe and enduring mental health needs, and Art Anchor, a structured weekly group program for lower-level wellbeing support, often accessed via social prescribing or self-referral. Referrals are accepted from all London Local Authorities, Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Bath and North East Somerset, typically originating from GPs, occupational or art therapists, community mental health teams, social workers, psychiatrists, and voluntary sector partners.

The business model combines charitable revenue with commercial activity. Income streams include: donations from individuals and corporate partners (via JustGiving), grants from public bodies (Healthy London Partnership, Arts Council England, Mayor of London), commissions on artwork sales by members (online shop at 35% for the "RSJ" artist listings, with prices ranging from £40 to £1,200), sale of Art Boxes for guided home-based creativity (£12.99–£39), studio space hire, corporate wellbeing workshops, and gift cards (£25–£200). The supporting technology stack is entirely off-the-shelf: a Wix-hosted website, Mailchimp for newsletters, Google Analytics for traffic, Stripe and PayPal for payment processing, and Royal Mail/Parcelforce for artwork delivery. The clinical team comprises over 15 HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapists who are BAAT members, several with postgraduate degrees from Goldsmiths and the Royal College of Art and published research in The Lancet and the International Journal of Art Therapy.

The charity positions itself as a "bridge to creative recovery" filling the gap between short-term NHS clinical cycles (typically six weeks) and long-term community-based mental health support. Its core differentiator is the permanence of the studio model — members attend for years rather than weeks, with membership adapted to fluctuating health needs — and the identity transformation from "patient" to "artist" facilitated through public exhibitions, an online shop, and the "Give us a Smile" fundraising campaign launched in 2015. As a non-profit, the organization has no parent company, no funding rounds, and no acquisition history, and is governed by a board of trustees chaired by directors with backgrounds in strategy, nursing, fundraising, and economic development.

Name

Studio Upstairs

Legal name

Studio Upstairs

Website

https://studioupstairs.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Studio Upstairs is a UK-registered charity, founded in 1988, that operates three therapeutic art studios in Bristol, North London, and South London to support adults with mental health or emotional difficulties through ongoing creative recovery and art psychotherapy programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Therapy and Mental Health Services

NAICS

Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330), Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (623220)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate/Workplace Mindfulness & Stress-Reduction Programs (HSADAJAG)

Keywords

• Art therapy services
• Mental health support
• Creative recovery programs
• Community arts studio
• Art psychotherapy

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Art Sales Commission: Online shop selling artworks created by studio members. The charity takes a commission/donation percentage from final sale price to support core work of the charity. Artists receive remaining amount after postage and commission deducted.
2. Art Boxes: Art kits delivered to home for guided creativity and wellbeing. Includes cyanotype printing kits and other art materials with instructions.
3. Space Hire: Hiring out studio spaces at Dalston, Croydon, and Bristol locations for workshops, meetings, training events, life drawing sessions.
4. Corporate Wellbeing Workshops: Interactive artistic wellbeing workshops for corporate clients and employees, team building and creative problem solving sessions.
5. Corporate Partnerships & Donations: Corporate Social Responsibility partnerships, payroll giving schemes, employee fundraising, corporate donations, and charity of the year partnerships.
6. Individual Donations: Regular monthly donations and one-off donations via JustGiving platform to support members needing help with attendance fees and arts materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Studio Upstairs provides dedicated art studios and life-changing creative interventions for adults experiencing mental health or emotional difficulties, delivered through two therapeutic pathways: Full Studio Membership for deep ongoing artistic practice and Art Anchor for structured weekly wellbeing sessions. The charity also operates commercial activities supporting its mission, including an online art shop selling member-created artwork, Art Boxes for home-based creativity, studio space hire, and corporate wellbeing workshops.

Product overview

Studio Upstairs is a UK-registered arts and health charity (charity number 105890) founded in 1988, providing a network of therapeutic studio locations in Bristol, North London (Dalston), and South London (Croydon). The organization operates a dual-purpose model combining therapeutic art therapy services (Full Studio Membership, Art Anchor, Art Groups, Exhibitions, Referrals) with commercial activities (Online Art Shop, Art Boxes, Space Hire, Corporate Wellbeing Workshops, Gift Cards). The core therapeutic offering is structured around two pathways: Full Studio Membership for deep ongoing artistic practice, and Art Anchor for structured weekly wellbeing sessions. The online shop sells original member artwork across categories including painting, print, drawing, sculpture, photography, mixed media, and collage, supplemented by the Art Boxes (Studio Inside) product line for at-home guided creativity. The organization acts as a bridge between short-term NHS mental health care and long-term community-based creative recovery, supporting adults experiencing mental health or emotional difficulties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Give us a Smile: A campaign launched in September 2015 asking artists, friends and celebrities to send anonymous 'Smiles' in the form of small canvas artworks to auction in support of Studio Upstairs.

Products and services

• Full Studio Membership Open-access membership providing ongoing artistic practice within a supportive therapeutic community for adults with mental health or emotional difficulties seeking long-term creative recovery. Members gain studio access at Bristol, North London (Dalston), and South London (Croydon) locations, with attendance fees not publicly disclosed and paid via referral-based inquiry.
• Art Anchor Structured weekly group art sessions focused on wellbeing and creative recharge, designed as a lower-level therapeutic pathway for people with less intensive mental health needs. Typically accessed through social prescribing or self-referral, with monthly fees not publicly disclosed.
• Workshops Facilitated art workshops available to the public, hosted at studio locations or delivered via art boxes at client premises. Includes general public workshops and bespoke sessions, with rates not publicly disclosed.
• Corporate Wellbeing Workshops Interactive artistic wellbeing workshops for corporate clients and employees designed to nurture creative thinking, generate ideas, and encourage team building. Available at studio locations or delivered via art box kits for in-office use, with corporate rates not publicly disclosed.
• Art Boxes (Studio Inside) Art supply kits delivered to homes for guided meditation walks and cyanotype printing, available in two formats — Introduction Box at £12.99 and Large Box at £39.00 — designed for guided creative practice at home.
• Online Art Shop E-commerce storefront selling original artworks, prints, drawings, sculptures, photography, and mixed media created by Studio Upstairs members, with prices ranging from £40 to £1,200. The charity takes a commission or donation percentage from sale price to support core charitable work, with artists receiving the remaining amount after postage and commission deduction.
• Space Hire Rental of studio spaces at Dalston (North London), Croydon (South London), and Bristol locations, equipped with tables, chairs, easels, kitchen areas, and kilns. Available for workshops, training, meetings, life drawing sessions, and events, with rates not publicly disclosed.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards available in denominations of £25, £50, £100, £150, £200, or custom amounts, purchasable for recipients to use toward studio services or artwork purchased through the online shop.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members transition from housebound isolation to weekly peer community participation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Leo BurleyminorOthers · 1 January 2015Documentary film-maker and Studio Upstairs Patron. Created BBC documentary 'Life After Suicide' (BaFTA-nominated) exploring mental health topics. Long-standing supporter for over 30 years of studio's work supporting people with mental health difficulties through art therapy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Create: Larger UK charity delivering creative arts workshops to disadvantaged groups including those with mental health needs. Comparable creative-arts-for-vulnerable-populations model, but broader in scope (covering schools, prisons, disability) and not studio-based.
• Mind: Major UK mental health charity. Comparable in serving the same end-user population with mental health difficulties, but Mind is a multi-service national organization rather than a specialized creative-arts-therapy provider; competes for grants and donor funding.

Direct peers

• Arts & Minds: Cambridgeshire-based charity using art to support mental health recovery through workshops and gallery programs. Direct peer as a regionally-focused UK arts and mental health charity running art workshops for adults with mental health difficulties.
• Bethlem Gallery: Gallery and studio program based at the Bethlem Royal Hospital supporting artists with mental health diagnoses. Closely comparable as a London-based arts charity that provides studio access, exhibitions, and a marketplace for artwork created by people with mental health experience.
• Outside In: UK charity providing a platform for artists facing barriers to the art world, including mental health, disability, and social exclusion. Comparable as it combines a marketplace for artist-made work with development programs, though broader in scope than mental health.
• CoolTan Arts: London-based arts and mental health charity running supported studios, exhibitions, and workshops for adults with mental health conditions. Direct peer in the open-studio therapeutic model and in selling member artwork through a charity marketplace.
• Hospital Rooms: UK charity delivering world-class art installations and creative programs in mental health inpatient settings. Directly comparable as a UK-based arts-and-mental-health charity that uses creative practice to support recovery, though focused on inpatient environments rather than community open studios.
• Paint the Town: UK charity using creative arts workshops to support mental health recovery and reduce stigma. Comparable as a small UK arts and mental health charity running community-based creative sessions for adults with mental health needs.

Others

• Paintings in Hospitals: UK charity providing art loans and creative programs in healthcare settings including mental health. Adjacent as it operates at the intersection of art and health, but delivers visual art to clinical environments rather than running therapeutic studios.

Regional players

• ActionSpace: London-based arts organization supporting artists with learning disabilities through studio programs and exhibitions. Comparable studio-based model and member-artwork marketplace, though focused on learning disabilities rather than mental health.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/studio_upstairs
• Facebookfacebook.com/StudioUpstairs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/studio-upstairs
• Instagraminstagram.com/studioupstairs

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Studio Upstairs