We recently connected with Andres Luer and have shared our conversation below.
Andres , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
UNCERTANTY… in capital letters is the constant on every one of us whom decide to jump into the entrepreneurial world. I have had 3 major episodes in my life in which uncertainty was on the other side of the risk taking bridge. When I was 21 I decided to leave Chile and go to Italy to finish my studies in Industrial Design, at that time my reservoir of certainty was empty, so the move felt more like a leap into the void hoping that it wont go wrong. It turned out to be amazing, I lived in Italy for 9 years, i graduated from the University of Florence, I learned Italian and I made life long friends on the way. That chapter of my life filled the certainty tank a bit as to think “hummm it wasn’t that bad, maybe there is a way to be certain that big changes are going to go well”.
So the second life changing decision came, age 30 I decided to go to China,….. yep with no plans, no job, just a ticket one way, and a tourist visa for 3 months. My uncertainty level thi time was tuned down by the positive experience I had on the record with my first move, so i was looking at it more confident, more certain and it turned out again fantastic, I lived there for 9 years, I had an amazing career in design, I visit and travel to incredible places, made life long friends and I met the woman of my life. 3rd (and i hope last!) leap / change/ jump. At age 39 I needed to decide what to do, leave the comfort of my situation in China or come to the US to be with the woman I love, this time I look at it and i say…”I’m certain that it will go great”, at last my certainty tank was full and here I am today, with her, in Seattle running my custom made furniture and design business, dream of the dreams job for me and thriving:) This is how now I see changes on the horizon, no longer with fear or uncertainty, rather knowing that things are going to be great.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Coming from a family of creatives, I was always exposed to design and craft. From an early age I was designing and making stuff, RC planes, cars and the most strange artifacts, portraits and sketches, even tattoos at some point. I knew what I wanted to study right after school, it was something called Industrial Design and what a degree was. The classes were all hands-on making models and learning about design masters like H. Dreyfuss to Stark. At age 21 I continued my studies in Florence where in 2009 I got my degree, during that time I had the opportunity to learn and permeate myself with master craftsmen in the furniture and yacht design. In 2011 I moved to China where I applied and expanded my design vision, becoming design consultant to studios and important players in the industry. In the back of my mind I was feeling more and more the need to go back to my roots, being in the making process and less in the meeting room. In 2021 I came to Seattle with my wife and I founded Atelierluer. Having no clue on where to start, how to make, who to talk to, I must say the first year was incredibly difficult, yet I started to understand that the only thing that really matters is to keep moving, keep hammering and get up again and again. After a few months things start coming together, the right business license, the permits, the accounting, later on the space, actually a bench where to start making small projects, step by step more and more space and starting to identify my vision, my ultimate goal, the opening of a shop. What I want to convey with this is that no matter what hurdles and how dark the whole situation turns into, it’s crucial to keep moving. Today I run Atelierluer successfully thanks to the unconditional support of my wife and the amazing people i met on the way, designing and building extraordinary pieces for people to love and enjoy.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
UNCERTANTY… in capital letters is the constant on every one of us whom decide to jump into the entrepreneurial world. I have had 3 major episodes in my life in which uncertainty was on the other side of the risk taking bridge. When I was 21 I decided to leave Chile and go to Italy to finish my studies in Industrial Design, at that time my reservoir of certainty was empty, so the move felt more like a leap into the void hoping that it wont go wrong. It turned out to be amazing, I lived in Italy for 9 years, i graduated from the University of Florence, I learned Italian and I made life long friends on the way. That chapter of my life filled the certainty tank a bit as to think “hummm it wasn’t that bad, maybe there is a way to be certain that big changes are going to go well”.
So the second life changing decision came, age 30 I decided to go to China,….. yep with no plans, no job, just a one way ticket, and a tourist visa for 3 months. My uncertainty level thi time was tune down by the positive experience I had on the record with my first move, so i was looking at it more confident, more certain and it turned out again fantastic, I lived there for 9 years, I had an amazing career in design, I visit and travel to incredible places, made life long friends and I met the woman of my life. 3rd (and i hope last!) leap / change/ jump. At age 39 I needed to decide what to do, leave the comfort of my situation in China or come to the US to be with the woman I love, this time I look at it and i say…”I’m certain that it will go great”, at last my certainty tank was full and here I am today, with her, in Seattle running my custom made furniture and design business, dream of the dreams job for me and thriving:) This is how now I see changes on the horizon, no longer with fear or uncertainty, rather knowing that things are going to be great.
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.
I do design and build my products. I wouldn’t know how to do otherwise, in same ways it is great because of the control that this dynamic provides, yet a very limiting factor when it comes to scaling. If there is something I must learn and integrate in the way i run my business, is the ability to delegate.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.atelierluer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atelier.luer/
- Facebook: Atelierluer
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
