Owning an Elbra piece
Made to order,
made to last.
Every Elbra piece is handmade in Portugal and built to be lived with for years. This guide walks through the commission journey, how your piece reaches you, how to care for each material, and how we stand behind what we make.
The Commission Journey
Four steps, made to measure.
Because each piece is made to order, most commissions are ready in around 90 days. Timelines vary by piece, so your exact lead time is confirmed with you before work begins.
Choose
Begin with one of our signature designs or share a concept of your own. Each commission opens as a conversation with our studio.
Tailor
Refine materials, dimensions, finishes and detailing until the piece answers precisely to your space and intent.
Crafted in Portugal
Your piece is made to order, by hand, by skilled artisans in Portugal, built one commission at a time, never from stock.
Delivered worldwide
When complete, it is carefully packed and delivered to your door anywhere in the world, with logistics coordinated throughout.
Delivery & Installation
To your door, white-glove.
We deliver worldwide and coordinate the logistics throughout, from careful packing in Portugal to a considered, white-glove arrival. Where a piece calls for it, installation is arranged and carried out for you, so it is placed and finished properly in the room it was made for.
We ask that you inspect your piece on arrival. If anything appears amiss, in transit or in the making, contact us promptly and we will make it right.
Caring For Your Piece
Material by material.
A few sensible habits keep natural materials looking their best. For anything specific to your piece, our studio is glad to advise.
Solid woods
Light Oak, Walnut and Black Louro
Dust regularly with a soft, dry cloth. Wipe spills promptly and avoid abrasive or solvent-based cleaners. Keep timber away from direct sunlight, heat sources and high humidity, which can fade tone and move the grain over time. As natural materials, woods develop a gentle patina with age, part of the character of a piece made to last.
Do
- Dust with a soft, dry cloth
- Blot spills at once
- Keep a steady 40–60% humidity
Avoid
- Direct sun, radiators and damp
- Abrasive or solvent cleaners
- Standing water and heat marks
Metals
Brushed Brass, bronze and steel
Wipe with a soft, dry or lightly dampened cloth and buff dry. Avoid abrasive pads and chemical polishes, which can disturb the applied finish. Living finishes such as brushed brass are intended to mellow naturally with handling and time; we can advise on care for a specific finish on request.
Do
- Wipe with a soft, dry or just-damp cloth
- Buff dry after cleaning
- Let living finishes mellow with time
Avoid
- Abrasive pads and chemical polishes
- Acidic or salt residues
- Trapped moisture
Stone
Travertine and marble
Use coasters and felt pads, and blot spills immediately. Acidic liquids such as wine, citrus and vinegar can etch natural stone. Clean with a soft, damp cloth and a pH-neutral product; avoid acidic or abrasive cleaners. Each slab is unique, with veining and tone that are inherent to the material rather than imperfections.
Do
- Use coasters and felt pads
- Blot spills immediately
- Clean with a pH-neutral product
Avoid
- Acids — wine, citrus, vinegar
- Abrasive or acidic cleaners
- Dragging objects across the surface
Upholstery
Ivory Bouclé, linen, velvet and leather
Vacuum gently on a low setting and rotate loose cushions to even out wear. Address spills at once by blotting (never rubbing) with a clean, dry cloth. Keep fabrics and leather out of direct sunlight to preserve colour, and entrust deeper cleaning to a specialist. Leather benefits from occasional conditioning suited to its finish.
Do
- Vacuum gently; rotate and plump cushions
- Blot spills with a clean, dry cloth
- Condition leather to suit its finish
Avoid
- Rubbing a stain
- Direct sun and heat
- Household detergents and solvents
Where it lives
The room around the piece.
Natural materials settle best in a steady room. None of this is fussy — it is simply where wood, stone and leather age gracefully rather than prematurely.
Light
Keep pieces out of prolonged direct sunlight, which fades tone in timber, textile and leather alike.
Heat & air
Set them away from radiators, vents and fireplaces; sudden dry heat moves timber and dulls finishes.
Humidity
A consistent 40–60% relative humidity keeps solid wood stable through the seasons.
Aftercare & Restoration
Because we made it, we can remake it.
A made-to-order piece is never a closed file. The drawings, the materials and the makers remain with us — so the years can be answered with care rather than replacement. Talk to us before you part with a piece.
Reupholstery
New fabric or leather over the original frame, in the same hand as the day it was made.
Refinishing
Timber and metal surfaces brought back — sanded, re-oiled, re-lacquered or re-plated as the finish asks.
Spare parts
Because we hold the drawings, a part can be remade to match: a glide, a hinge, a single component.
Restoration
Full restoration of a piece worth keeping, returned to the room it belongs in.
Guarantee & Repair
Built to endure, and stood behind.
An Elbra piece is made to last. Solid materials, considered joinery and hand-finishing are chosen so a piece can be lived with daily and still endure: furniture intended for life, not for a season.
We stand behind what we make. Should a manufacturing defect ever appear, we will put it right. The specific terms of our guarantee are confirmed with each commission.
And because these pieces are built to be kept, we take a repair-and-restoration view of ownership. When the years ask for it, talk to us about refinishing, reupholstery or restoration rather than replacement.
Provenance
Handmade in Portugal.
Every Elbra piece is made in our own ateliers in Portugal, by people who have spent their lives with these materials. It is slower this way, and it is the only way we know how to make something worth keeping.
For the long life of the piece
We're here, for the long life of the piece.
Whether you are weighing a commission, planning a delivery or caring for a piece you already own, our studio is glad to help.