#28 Studio Luu's Handmade Candles and Locally-Sourced goods
plus an egg rug and their shop pup :)
Studio Luu is an independent business that is female owned and operated. It’s based in sweet San Francisco, California. Studio Luu stocks handmade and locally-sourced products, including their in-house-made candles.
Hello! What is Studio Luu for those who don't already know?
Studio Luu is a small homewares business based out of San Francisco, CA! We’re an online-based shop that has curated and handmade shapes for your home.
How did the idea for Studio Luu come about?
Honestly, jealousy! I follow a lot of Europe, UK, and Australia-based accounts, and all of their stuff was always so hard to get or so expensive to ship. I started with candles and it’s really grown from there! Studio was just a name that was available on Instagram if i’m honest! And Lu/Luu is a nickname I’ve had forever, so it seemed like an easy fit.
What kinds of items do you make/stock at Studio Luu?
We handmake all of our candles in-house in San Francisco and design rugs, tapestries, and vases! We also work with other local and mostly female founded small businesses.
Tell me about yourself!
My name’s Iluka (@ilukugh) and i’m originally from Australia, although I’ve lived in the Bay Area for coming on 3 years now. My dog Mia (a quarantine foster fail) likes to “help” pack your orders and my boyfriend Matt shoots everything. I’ve also just hired an intern named Estelle who has been a huge help as far as organising my chaos and helping to pack!
What makes Studio Luu unique?
I think how hands on I am! My rule of thumb is anything I stock on the site has to be something I’d have in my home. Because of this, our apartment is basically the Studio Luu showroom, and Matt is forever coming home to a different house.
Can you tell me about your donation match initiative?
We were donating 10% of every sale last year. However, this year we have changed it a little. We’ve partnered up with a company called One Tree Planted to plant a tree for every order placed! Our customers can choose where in the world they want their tree planted by popping a note at checkout. On top of this, I personally match 15% of every sales each quarter and donate it to a fund of the Studio Luu community’s choice!
What are your personal passions/interests?
My dog Mia, horrible reality TV shows, stalking FB marketplace for the perfect vintage piece of furniture I didn’t know I needed. Expensive bodegas, cheese and bread of any sort, and going over the Golden Gate bridge for some sunshine.
What's your favorite thing about San Francisco?
How close we are to everything! An hour north or south and so it’s different and so beautiful. I love that in summer we have places like the Russian River, Santa Cruz, and Napa only a drive away, and in winter Tahoe is pretty close too.
How can we order from you?
Our site! studioluu.shop or our Instagram @studio.luu
Any dreams or goals for Studio Luu? :)
Would love to do some bigger collaborations, and it’d be amazing to have the funds and space to rent a separate studio space. Right now we’re just operating out of our spare bedroom!