Welcome back to the Chaise Lounge Podcast! This week, Nick May chats with a designer, but not an interior designer. Fernando Alvarez and his family own an upholstery business that has existed since the 1960’s: Le Jeune Upholstery.

Fernando’s parents, Consuelo and Osmundo immigrated to Miami from Cuba. They opened a furniture upholstery business, working from sunrise to sunset for several years. As the business grew, they opened a second location, followed by a third one a decade later. Today, Le Jeune is operated by Fernando and his brothers Alex and Gerry. Each brother takes charge of a separate division of the company – sales, marketing, and design – and incorporates order and passion, following the steps of Consuelo and Osmundo.

Fernando puts his engineering experience to use when designing furniture. He is very technical when approaching his craft. He draws sketches of the furniture and patterns, takes scale and proportions into consideration, asks his clients about colors, where the piece will be placed in their home – and that’s before he actually builds the piece. Everything the brothers do is done in-house, hand-made from start to finish. From chairs to sofas to footrests, Le Jeune exemplifies the art and science of designing and making furniture.

Check out Fernando’s work on their website lejeuneupholstery.com, and be sure to follow them on Instagram @le_jeune_upholstery