STUDIO
A life shaped by the ocean, craftsmanship and an instinct to make.
Luis Alexander is a furniture designer-maker based in Portugal, creating original pieces and bespoke furniture in solid wood.
Long before establishing the studio, making was already part of Luis’ world. Growing up, he spent time in his great-grandfather’s workshop in Portugal, watching him make furniture — an early introduction to craftsmanship that stayed with him even as his life took a very different direction.
From surfing to making.
Luis began his professional surfing career at fourteen. Over the following eight years he became a four-time British Champion, ranked eighth in Europe and competed with the support of international sponsors including Nike, O’Neill and Oakley.
When his professional career came to an end, Luis returned his attention to life in Portugal. Together with Elliss, he took over his parents' surf house "Surfiberia" and developed it into the lodge and surf school they continue to run today.
But the interest in making, that began in his great-grandfather’s workshop, never disappeared.
The beginning of the Studiø.
After starting a family, Luis began designing and making furniture for his own home. The pieces attracted attention, enquiries followed and private commissions began to arrive.
That progression developed naturally into the studio today: creating one-off pieces, bespoke furniture for private homes and considered collections for commercial and hospitality spaces.
Luis’ approach remains rooted in the same principles that first drew him to woodworking — thoughtful design, a keen eye for detail and the belief that a well-made piece of furniture should last through generations.
Today, Luis lives and works in Portugal with Elliss and their four children.
The studio has grown alongside family life — slowly, deliberately and through pieces first made for the places they themselves inhabit.
Each commission is approached individually, with an emphasis on solid wood, honest construction and furniture designed to belong rather than simply occupy a space.