Del Portillo

Del Portillo is a Bogotá studio making designer furniture, home objects and leather accessories. It was founded by José David Del Portillo, a graduate of the industrial design faculty at Universidad Utadeo. After a couple of years apprenticing in Mexico City, he launched his business in Bogotá in 2014.

Del Portillo's signature is clean geometry and solid wood furniture - though for travellers, the smaller pieces will likely be the first draw: tableware, bags, home accessories and even pet accessories. So you can walk into Del Portillo without any intention of buying a solid dining table, a designer armchair, a bar stool or a sofa. That said, the furniture is absolutely worth looking at. Del Portillo works with three wood species: teak, Colombian coffee walnut (Nogal Cafetero) and purple oak (Roble Flor Morado). No veneer, just solid wood with exposed grain, genuine texture and natural colour.

Every piece is assembled by hand - carpenters, metalworkers and weavers working meticulously on each detail. The smaller objects are just as carefully considered: leather tote bags perfectly sized for a laptop, candleholders, cutting boards, carafes, bowls and… the bananero -  a tabletop banana hanger. It comes in two versions: an everyday wooden object and an art piece — an aluminium sculpture that has won several prestigious design awards.

The Del Portillo showroom is in El Retiro, one of Bogotá's most upscale neighbourhoods, with boutiques, restaurants and galleries. And by the way, it shares its space with MAZ Gallery -  the flagship store of fashion designer Manuela Álvarez. One dresses the person, the other furnishes the home.