At first glance, you may not think that Amanda and Sebastian Reant should be the owners of an American furniture company with Mexican and Latin-American influences. They are both European: She’s British; he’s French. However, opening a furniture company seemed to be a given for the stylish young couple. Amanda has always worked in design and moved to America 15 years ago to open all of the US showrooms for a top British design brand. Sebastian’s parents, and grandparents before that, owned a hospitality design agency in Paris.
So, in 2015, the Reants opened a furniture company in Dobbs Ferry called Luteca, which is inspired by the rich legacies of Mexico and Latin America. “We chose [the Dobbs Ferry] location because we are right on the Hudson River, surrounded by nature. It makes for a very happy working environment,” they say.
The Reants discover and work with American, Mexican, and Latin-American designers to produce and manufacture all of their pieces. Having spent time in Mexico City, they came to know it as an “incredibly warm, cosmopolitan city. Modern Mexico City is a wealth of different cultural influences,” says Amanda. “I think that comes through in Luteca’s design philosophy.” (Luteca also maintains a showroom in Mexico City, which opened in 2018.)
Sebastian and Amanda Reant, owners of Luteca. Photo by Kristen Francis
Luteca furniture is modern, functional, and stylish, with pieces ranging from chairs and stools to tables and credenzas and anything in-between. Luteca mostly works with designers and architects but welcomes clients to their studio by appointment.
They of course love all their creations, but among their favorites are the Dorcia Daybed, by design director Jorge Ibarra, which is “a fantastically well-thought-out piece that can be adapted to a multitude of different environments,” says Amanda. “Our Eugenio Dining Chair is also one of the best contemporary chairs on the market.”
Soon to come, a new showroom in the New York Design Center and continuing to “unearth amazing, unknown Mexican and Latin-American design.”
