Alessandro Latini (b. Rome, Italy, 1971) spent his early childhood in places like Sardinia and Rio de Janeiro—pretty dreamy backdrops for a kid to start noticing good design and craftsmanship. He later moved to California to study architecture at UC Berkeley, but it was the university’s woodworking studio that truly captured his attention and sparked a lifelong love of furniture making.

After graduating, Alessandro moved to New York and began building custom pieces from a tiny basement apartment in the East Village. A chance reconnection with his high school friend Laleh brought him back to San Francisco, where he worked at two respected architecture firms before returning fully to furniture design. His work has been featured by brands such as Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel, but what continues to drive him most is working with sustainable materials and collaborating with talented craftspeople around the world.

Laleh Latini (b. Tehran, Iran, 1971) moved to San Francisco with her family at age eight. After high school she began studying interior architecture at UC Davis before shifting her focus to film and photography. A few years after college, she set off on a backpacking trip around the world with a friend—visiting 13 countries across four continents and capturing thousands of images on film along the way.

Back in San Francisco, Laleh briefly explored commercial photography before transitioning into freelance graphic design, working with brands such as Pottery Barn and Design Within Reach. Photography remains an important part of her creative life—you’ll see many of her images throughout the SOBU website, and occasionally on display at the Oakland showroom.