press highlights jan-aug 2012

7/31/2019 Press Highlights Jan-Aug 2012

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Once in a Lifetime, Gestalten 2012


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Living Etc, September 2012


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Living Etc, September 2012


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Wallpaper, July 2012


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Frame, July-August 2012


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Homes&Interiors Scotland, July-August 2012


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(inside) Magazine, April 2012


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(inside) Magazine, April 2012


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Perspective, June 2012


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English translation page 1/2

Der Designer-Versteher [The Designer-Whisperer]

Up until now, designers had to manuacture and market their designs themselves - or leave it to the big rms. Now a

Portuguese company is making an irresistible oer to the creative elite.

Curator, manager, producer, vendor: Luis de Oliveira, head o the Portuguese urniture manuacturer, De La Espada,

is a right hand man or his designers.

For decades, experienced timber cratsmen have been manuacturing Louis XVI benches or Davenport Directoires,

which were perect imitations o the past, in the light abric hall close to the Portuguese Silver Coast. But in 2005,

production was shut down. It seems like an irony o ate that this workshop approximately 100 km south o Porto, isnow home to one o Europes most important design laboratories.

One mans tragedy is another mans ortune, says Luis de Oliveira. He acquired the dying workshop six years ago

in opportune conditions and breathed new lie into it: as a workshop o modern objects and location or the develop-

ment o new brands. Since then, the 39-year old entrepreneur and manager o the creative elite, is interpreting the

rules o the manuacturers tradition in a new way: his company, De La Espada realises the visions and ideas o other

designers - similarly to a good gallery owner. De Oliveiras thoughtully curated group o renowned designers could

hardly be more heterogeneous: The award-winning studio, Autoban rom Istanbul; British designer, Matthew Hilton

with his minimalistic urniture sculptures; the dream-like beauty o embroidered cushions by textile designer Charlene

Mullen; a collection by the Danish, Soren Rose Studio; or the work o the Japanese team, Lei.designpark. During

the past year alone, these creatives thought up about 40 new pieces o urniture, lighting, and accessories or De La

Espada.

I never saw mysel as a brilliant designer, conesses De Oliveira. I unction the best when I can be active as a man-

ager. Together with his Spanish wie, Fatima De La Espada, they were organising everything themselves or years,

rom their own designs, to production, to distribution. Single-handedly, this became very exhausting in the long-

run. When their last urniture collection fopped in 2006, De Oliveira started to rethink. A recently published book

was helping me at that time, he remembers: In The Long Tail, Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chie o Wired magazine,

argues that in a web-ane society the uture belongs to niche products - and not to mass products. De La Espada is

orienting around this thesis. And since then is ocusing on an elite troop o designers working worldwide. The com-

pany boss regards himsel as a specialist, making a sensitive pre-selection or consumers out o the stream o oers.

It is no longer about the cookie-cutter product made in batches o a million, says De Oliveira. I would like to oer

pieces made in small batches, careully crated, on which not everyone can agree.

For example the Light dining table by Matthew Hilton, which with its radiant legs looks like a miniature version

o Oscar Niemeyers Catedral Metropolitana in Braslia, on which you can have breakast. Hilton, who was work-

ing many years or Habitat and leading his own design rm, didnt have to think twice when De Oliveira asked him

to become a collaborator in 2008. Luis is giving me reedom as my own creative director and relieving me rom

production, distribution, and marketing., says the 54-year-old Londoner as he thoughtully runs his hand over his

dining table. That would never be possible with a bulk producer. When Matthew Hilton visited the manuactory in

Portugal, he was sitting with the workers during lunch. A stew was cooking over a log-re, not on a stove. All let over

materials were being used.

The head o De La Espada knows that his business model is not (yet) making international urnishing giants nervous.

They dont understand our rm! He is quickened by the thought that designers will in uture be able to select how

and with whom they would like to work. With big manuacturers, designers oten only play the inerior role o supply-

ing ideas. Contrarily, I believe in the division o power and decisions. De Oliveira does not even require an exclusivedistribution right or the jointly developed collections. True success lies within a close working relationship, he points

out, and it comes together with trust and reedom. I am engaging with the necessities and paces o the designers-

that is where many see quality.


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English translation page 2/2

His concept also convinced Ilse Craword, the creative director o Studioilse. Instead o requiring the usual ten

designs in ten days, I oered her a sustainable collaboration without time pressure. Our approach, continues De

Oliveira while adding brown sugar to his cappuccino, is without a doubt innovative, but at its centre stands tradi-

tional wood crat. A philosophy that Crawords Companions or De La Espada - bed, side table, and desk rom

solid, silky shimmering chestnut - could not represent more beautiully. But timber alone was not enough. When De

Oliveira purchased the actory, a network o special producers was readily included. Their material knowledge was

invaluable. Because it doesnt make sense to tell a designer: Be ree! Be creative! But please design in one material

only. Now it can also be granite, cork, or marble, like in the inaugural ve-piece collection by Benjamin Hubert. Also,

the biography o the designer must t, or example that o Soren Rose: During the dotcom era he ounded one o

the biggest new media agencies in Denmark - and a modeling agency! says the head o De La Espada. People who

have already accomplished a lot are more interesting to me than young, immaculate talents. Roses inviting wingedchair seems like a perect interpretation o De Oliveiras credo: to take time, listen to one another. As soon as two

chairs are put in ront o each other, they build a space within a space, in which one person can ocus on the other

undisturbed. Luis model is turning established habits upside down, says the Copenhagener. Normally, a company

produces a lamp with you, and i it goes well, maybe a mini-series. But hes is developing a whole collection with you

right away!

De La Espadas requirements have a similar eect on urniture that long, sunny days have on ripening oranges:

The pieces are lacking an aura o nervousness, ast trends -they can ripen calmly, which is why they are radiating a

priceless timelessness. Still, De La Espada seems like a small, eligible record label, that can act more fexibly and

aster than established brands. And De Oliveira also sees the uture in the niche: We want to grow, but not arbitrarily.

Growing only makes sense to me as long as I can give every designer the time that he needs.

Picture captions:

Great catch or Luis de Oliveiras style-portolio: above the Octopus lamp by Autoban. Below Soren Rose is sit-

ting surrounded by his Park Avenue collection. The dining table Gabion by Benjamin Hubert (right) is held to the

ground by granite balls. Far right: Matthew Hiltons seating sculpture Colombo.

Lei.designpark, a young team rom Tokyo, with their Hug seating collection and Lily table amily with Corian tops

produced by De La Espada; also the Tone chest below was designed by the Japanese team. Purchase Ino in AD

Plus.

The British Matthew Hilton (above) next to his Dierent Trains cabinet , has been working with De La Espada since

2008. Above on the let foats Autobans Magnolia lighting; its diameter: approximately one meter.

From De La Espadas design association (let page): embroidered cushion by Charlene Mullen next to Benjamin

Huberts Coracle. Right and below: Ilse Crawords elegant bed rom chestnut in ront o Matthew Hiltons storage

miracle, Dierent Trains.


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press highlights jan-aug 2012

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