Piecework Puzzles: 1,000-piece jigsaws designed as design objects
Founded in the United States by Rachel Hochhauser and Jena Wolfe, Piecework Puzzles publishes jigsaws taken from photographs and artists' work, and took over the design brand Areaware in 2026.
A box with yellow and white stripes, martini glasses, a straw hat and, in the middle, a 1,000-piece jigsaw: that is the picture Piecework Puzzles gives its product. The American brand does not sell a simple pastime. It dresses it as a decorative object, which you put together at the table and then give as a gift or put on display. Its house motto takes few words: a jigsaw for every mood, every daydream and every personality.
The story
Piecework Puzzles was founded by Rachel Hochhauser and Jena Wolfe. According to the press, the company dates from 2019. The brand says it was created to help everyone find joy in their free time, making jigsaws a pleasure in their own right, well beyond a living-room pastime.
The founders say that what they love in this trade is building “mini jigsaw dramas”: each image is accompanied by props, ornaments and curiosities chosen for the occasion. They address their customers in the first person and present their favourite objects, from the ceramic serving dish to summer candles.
The range
The core of the offer is the 1,000-piece jigsaws, joined by 750- and 500-piece formats, a box set of three 300-piece jigsaws and children’s jigsaws. Each title has its own box with coloured stripes, and many have a playlist, which the brand presents as matched to the image.
The most recognisable collection is the Slim Aarons one, a photographer whose archive belongs to Getty Images. Poolside Gossip, Christmas Swim, Sun Basking, Positano Beach, Dining Al Fresco on Capri, Palm Beach Idyll and Verbier Vacation are all in it. The brand also offers other worlds: scenes of Italy, flowers, tennis, fairy tales.
Around the jigsaws, Piecework has built a shop of gifts and home objects: linen cocktail napkins, matches, candles, tableware, cookbooks. It sells pieces by third-party artists there, such as the ceramicist Isabel Halley or Sophie Lou Jacobsen for glasses.
The craft
On the paper, the brand is precise: for Poolside Gossip, it advertises thick card and high-quality art paper, with a board made of recycled paper. The finished jigsaw measures 48.9 × 67.6 cm and the box 20.3 × 25.4 × 4.6 cm, according to the brand, which gives its measurements in inches.
For made-to-order commissions, the brand sets a minimum of 500 units, with a longer lead time, and also offers corporate gifts.
What the brand stands for
Piecework lays claim to an aesthetic: jigsaws “designed for lovers of beauty”, according to its presentation, and gifts “that are never ordinary”. It says it wants each jigsaw to be a world to get lost in, whether the Italian coast, a chalet after skiing or a bunch of flowers.
The pleasure of the game also comes with its accompaniment: a playlist for almost every jigsaw, which the brand presents as matched to the era or mood of the image.
Right now
The brand is in full expansion. According to Business of Home, on 26 May 2026, Piecework took over Areaware, a design brand whose closure had been announced in February, after more than twenty years in existence; the financial terms were not made public. Piecework specified that Areaware would keep its model, which consists of licensing the work of independent designers to produce small home objects, and that the two houses would remain sister brands, each with its own name, website and social networks.
According to Fast Company, Rachel Hochhauser says that Piecework is in a growth phase and is looking to widen its offer beyond jigsaws, drawing on Areaware’s platform, its relationships with independent artists and its manufacturers.
Why we like it
We like the idea of making a jigsaw an object you want to leave on show: boldly striped boxes, images taken from photographers, a period playlist to accompany the assembly. We also like the way the brand extends its world, from linen cocktail napkins to tableware.
Exactly the kind of brand we’d love to come across on O!deal one day.
Piecework Puzzles products we’ve spotted
1
Poolside Gossip: the 1,000-piece jigsaw taken from a Slim Aarons photograph
A 1,000-piece jigsaw taken from the Slim Aarons photograph, licensed by Getty Images and supplied in a box with yellow cabana stripes. Once assembled, it measures 48.9 × 67.6 cm.