how we do it: There’s passion behind the product

LUMA Design Workshop is a design build company based in Seattle WA.  The company was founded by Jessica and Nicholas Mayer and the Lucas Family of Lucas Lucas Interior: hence the name LU/MA – a combo of both families surnames – Lucas-Mayer.

We came together to create LUMA in 2013 out of our shared passion for designing and building furniture. But as of 2015, Jessica and Nicholas are now the sole owners of LUMA. They also run and operate a 2^nd generation fabrication / manufacturing studio out of the same facility called Mayer Designs, Inc.

LUMA’s PHILOSOPHY – SIMPLICITY IS SOPHISTICATION

This philosophy comes from the mindset that design does not need to be complicated.

Sometimes simple modern designs are the most challenging to achieve. But that’s where LUMA thrives!

We are all about modern, clean lines and seamless material intersections. Our designs are engineered to last for generations and the internal structure of our pieces are well thought-out. 

For instance, the Float and the Strap…

Our furniture is intended to be a statement piece, the anchor in the room. But what stands out most about our line is the seamless connection of multiple materials.

We started the line thinking we’d be creating a standardized furniture line with our standard collections and orders would happen from that, but word must have gotten out about our custom background and now the MAJORITY OF WHAT WE DO ARE CUSTOM ORDERS.  Whether it’s a dimensional change or mash of two of our designs or a fully custom request we seem to be destined for custom work and it is what we do best that we have the most experience in. 

Nicholas and Jessica oversee every order and collaborate with local artisans and trades people who contribute materials to the line. They do the designing and drafting and the construction drawings and understand every aspect of each order.

We are always innovating new materials and creating new finishes to keep our line fresh and unique.

Our thoughtfully selected materials and finishes are what really make our designs stand out and what we get the most excited talking about – our materials and finishes and the seamless connections they create.  We love sourcing materials and developing new finishes that are cutting edge.

All of our finishes are HAND-APPLIED and all of our materials are MADE BY HAND by the LUMA team and local craftspeople and artists we collaborate with.

hand crafted and locally sourced materials

Our handmade cast glass is made by a local glass artist. The process is fascinating: glass shards are placed in a mold and cooked in hand made kilns for a few days.  Then they open the kiln once its super-hot and the glass is melted, and they smooth out the top with a soft wet sponge. They have to wear a fire jacket and the glass will catch fire.  Then they close the kiln and allow the glass to cool for about a week – all the while it is being checked through a viewing hole in the kiln. (Watch the video above to see exactly how it’s done!)

If they open the kiln too soon the glass will crack or fracture and then they have to start all over again and fire a new slab. This checking process is really just a “best guess” process. The temperature gauge on the kiln is not always the best gauge. 

Our cast glass artist is amazing and always up for the custom request challenges we present to them.

Our metal is sourced locally, and we offer several hand-applied patinas. An old-world technique using acids to change the metal material color.  We have also developed an in-house process of texturizing metal.  

Recently, textured metal has become very popular in the design/architectural world.   It used to be that textured metal was a “found” material. Found in old barns and industrial shops.  But we have figured out a way to recreate that look by using electricity and salt water.

Our wood is primarily veneer.  We love hardwood but it isn’t as stable as our veneered product.  And with our clean lines and the way we have to connect our materials, we believe that veneer is the superior product.

We purchase full logs so we can grain match large quantities of orders.  We waterfall our grain at the ends of our tables, and it matches over the edges. And we use plain-sliced veneers.

OUR STONE AND CRISTALLO QUARTZ slabs are selected by Jessica so she can choose the most uniform slabs. Our Cambria Quartz is the ELLA finish. We chose to work with Cambria because they are USA made which is in line with our company.

100% AMERICAN MADE

LUMA is all about relationships with our vendors and our shared passion for design and building and the trades. We collaborate on new designs and work out engineering challenges as a team with our vendors and artisans.

We are lucky to have these industries and manufacturers around us. We take the time to visit their warehouses and workshops and if there is a process not performed by LUMA we learn about how it’s done and watch how it’s made.

LUMA is all about these amazing materials and finishes hand done by the local artisans and craftspeople in our Seattle community. We are a proud locally sourced & sustainable furniture company!