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‘Der Designer-Versteher’ [The Designer-Whisperer]

Up until now, designers had to manufacture and market their designs themselves - or leave it to the big firms. Now a Portuguese company is making an irresistible offer to the creative elite.

Curator, manager, producer, vendor: Luis de Oliveira, head of the Portuguese furniture manufacturer, De La Espada, is a ‘right hand man’ for his designers.

For decades, experienced timber craftsmen have been manufacturing Louis XVI benches or Davenport Directoires, which were perfect imitations of the past, in the light fabric hall close to the Portuguese Silver Coast. But in 2005, production was shut down. It seems like an irony of fate that this workshop approximately 100 km south of Porto, is now home to one of Europe’s most important design laboratories.

“One man’s tragedy is another man’s fortune”, says Luis de Oliveira. He acquired the dying workshop six years ago in opportune conditions and breathed new life into it: as a workshop of modern objects and location for the develop-ment of new brands. Since then, the 39-year old entrepreneur and manager of the creative elite, is interpreting the rules of the manufacturer’s tradition in a new way: his company, De La Espada realises the visions and ideas of other designers - similarly to a good gallery owner. De Oliveira’s thoughtfully curated group of renowned designers could hardly be more heterogeneous: The award-winning studio, Autoban from Istanbul; British designer, Matthew Hilton with his minimalistic furniture sculptures; the dream-like beauty of embroidered cushions by textile designer Charlene Mullen; a collection by the Danish, Soren Rose Studio; or the work of the Japanese team, Leif.designpark. During the past year alone, these creatives thought up about 40 new pieces of furniture, lighting, and accessories for De La Espada.

“I never saw myself as a brilliant designer”, confesses De Oliveira. “I function the best when I can be active as a man-ager”. Together with his Spanish wife, Fatima De La Espada, they were organising everything themselves for years, from their own designs, to production, to distribution. “Single-handedly, this became very exhausting in the long-run.” When their last furniture collection flopped 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-Chief of Wired magazine, argues that in a web-affine society the future belongs to niche products - and not to mass products. De La Espada is orienting around this thesis. And since then is focusing on an elite troop of designers working worldwide. The com-pany boss regards himself as a specialist, making a sensitive pre-selection for consumers out of the stream of offers. “It is no longer about the cookie-cutter product made in batches of a million”, says De Oliveira. “I would like to offer pieces made in small batches, carefully crafted, 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 of Oscar Niemeyer’s Catedral Metropolitana in Brasília, on which you can have breakfast. Hilton, who was work-ing many years for Habitat and leading his own design firm, didn’t have to think twice when De Oliveira asked him to become a collaborator in 2008. “Luis is giving me freedom as my own creative director and relieving me from production, distribution, and marketing.”, says the 54-year-old Londoner as he thoughtfully runs his hand over his dining table. “That would never be possible with a bulk producer.” When Matthew Hilton visited the manufactory in Portugal, he was sitting with the workers during lunch. A stew was cooking over a log-fire, not on a stove. All left over materials were being used.

The head of De La Espada knows that his business model is not (yet) making international furnishing giants nervous. “They don’t understand our firm!” He is quickened by the thought “that designers will in future be able to select how and with whom they would like to work. With big manufacturers, designers often only play the inferior role of supply-ing ideas. Contrarily, I believe in the division of power and decisions.” De Oliveira does not even require an exclusive distribution right for the jointly developed collections. True success lies within a close working relationship, he points out, and it comes together with trust and freedom. “I am engaging with the necessities and paces of the designers- that is where many see quality.”

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His concept also convinced Ilse Crawford, the creative director of Studioilse. “Instead of requiring the usual ten designs in ten days, I offered 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 craft.” A philosophy that Crawford’s “Companions” for De La Espada - bed, side table, and desk from solid, silky shimmering chestnut - could not represent more beautifully. But timber alone was not enough. When De Oliveira purchased the factory, a network of special producers was readily included. “Their material knowledge was invaluable. Because it doesn’t make sense to tell a designer: Be free! Be creative! But please design in one material only.” Now it can also be granite, cork, or marble, like in the inaugural five-piece collection by Benjamin Hubert. Also, the biography of the designer must fit, for example that of Soren Rose: “During the dotcom era he founded one of the biggest new media agencies in Denmark - and a modeling agency!” says the head of De La Espada. “People who have already accomplished a lot are more interesting to me than young, immaculate talents.” Rose’s inviting winged chair seems like a perfect interpretation of De Oliveira’s credo: to take time, listen to one another. As soon as two chairs are put in front of each other, they build a space within a space, in which one person can focus on the other undisturbed. “Luis’ model is turning established habits upside down”, says the Copenhagener. “Normally, a company produces a lamp with you, and if it goes well, maybe a mini-series. But he’s is developing a whole collection with you right away!”

De La Espada’s requirements have a similar effect on furniture that long, sunny days have on ripening oranges: The pieces are lacking an aura of nervousness, fast 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 flexibly and faster than established brands. And De Oliveira also sees the future 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 for Luis de Oliveira’s style-portfolio: 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 Hilton’s seating sculpture “Colombo”.

Leif.designpark, a young team from Tokyo, with their “Hug” seating collection and “Lily” table family with Corian tops produced by De La Espada; also the “Tone chest” below was designed by the Japanese team. Purchase Info in AD Plus.

The British Matthew Hilton (above) next to his “Different Trains” cabinet , has been working with De La Espada since 2008. Above on the left floats Autoban’s “Magnolia” lighting; it’s diameter: approximately one meter.

From De La Espada’s design association (left page): embroidered cushion by Charlene Mullen next to Benjamin Hubert’s “Coracle”. Right and below: Ilse Crawford’s elegant bed from chestnut in front of Matthew Hilton’s storage miracle, “Different Trains”.