De La Espada Lookbook Vol 3
108Pages

DE LA ESPADA Focusing on the key pieces of furniture for the home: a place to eat, rest, sleep and work

CONTENTS De La Espada 4 Monte da Azarujinha 10 A Conversation with Aboim Inglez Arquitectos 55 Our Craftspeople 60 Our Product Development Team 62 Sao Mamede House 66 A Conversation with Manuel Aires Mateus 130 A Conversation with Jason Miller 140 Let's Pretend This Never Happened 144 Our Craftspeople 174 Designers 176 Product Index 180 Timber 205 Credits 210 Contact

OBJECTS WITH MEANING The objects in our lives should be useful and beautiful, well thought through, and designed to last. As our experiences become layered memories, the reassuring presence of our valued possessions reminds us of our life's journey. Objects that connect with us originate from a place of connection: creators invested in the integrity of their craft, materials that appeal to the senses, consideration of the wider world. At De La Espada we build for life; furniture that ages well, with enduring relevance.

There is no greater luxury than time and personal attention. It is the small moments that define the whole of our lives; likewise, details play a significant role in defining a product. From our design partners to our craftspeople, there is a deep engagement with our furniture, and a mission to make it as beautiful and enduring as possible. No detail is too small for consideration, from the particulars of joinery, to tactility, to decisions over how to apply each plank of wood to showcase the individuality of its colour and grain. We define luxury as experience, taking the time to enjoy the...

AT HOME IN THE WORLD De La Espada is deeply connected to Portugal, home to our dedicated factory and many of the people who pour passion and skill into creating our products. The warmth and history found in Portuguese design and architecture is present in our work, combined with an international perspective brought by our homes in London and New York, and our collaborators in Stockholm, Venice, Shanghai, London, New York, and Istanbul. We work closely with our design partners, combining expertise and exchanging cultures, friendships, and ideas. De La Espada furniture is where the creativity...

Monte da Azarujinha Monte da Azarujinha is a converted and extended farmhouse on the outskirts of Azaruja village in the Alentejo region of Portugal. The 140-hectare property contains two buildings: one a century-old family home, and the second a newly constructed holiday accommodation. Both were designed by Aboim Inglez Arquitectos who worked to honour the existing construction and landscape while introducing new elements with a feeling of relevance and timelessness. The buildings, set at a right angle to one another, share a similar appearance due to the use of traditional materials and...

4 0 3S/L PLAUALTO SOFA 103SM LAUREL SIDE TABLE 103LM LAUREL COFFEE TABLE

403S/L PLANALTO SOFA 103SM LAUREL SIDE TABLE 20

LEFT: 403S/L PLANALTO SOFA ABOVE: 103LM LAUREL COFFEE TABLE

441 STOOL, 443 BENCH, 445 LOW SETTLE 452FL TOGETHER FIXED TABLE

101 ELYSIA LOUNGE CHAIR, 101O NINO OTTOMAN, 105 BLANCHE BERGERE, 456M SIDEKICKS COFFEE TABLE

456M SIDEKICKS COFFEE TABLE, 105 BLANCHE BERGERE

784 SOLO DESK, 750 SOLO DINING CHAIR

A CONVERSATION WITH ABOIM INGLEZ ARQUITECTOS “Simple ideas can have the ability to become powerful ideas.” Simplicity, when it comes to good design, is a misnomer. The word is often associated with a feeling of clarity and connection that, in fact, can only be achieved through intense care and attention toward a broad range of practicalities: financial, logistical, elemental, historical and personal. Done well, everything merges seamlessly to create something so natural to our humanity as to feel “simple.” It is a concept Lisbon-based Aboim Inglez Arquitectos understands well. The work of...

When designing Monte da Azarujinha, a converted farmhouse in the Alentejo region of Portugal, the architects were faced with an immense property, “and there was only this very humble building standing there, not in the middle of the property, but standing there in the vast landscape. And the question for us is: How do you enlarge this building without being the ‘new building in town,’ the ‘star of the whole landscape?’” Ricardo says. “How do you continue this tranquility and this serene landscape, being contemporary, dealing with contemporary issues, but not trying to impose those issues...

“Like some distance of the main construction to give more openness or more freedom. Also again to be able to walk around and not be completely surrounded,” says Maria Ana. “You can be in the house without seeing the pool or you can be in the house looking at the pool. You feel the people there bathing and having their own privacy; they are not exposed as if it was in the middle and it is not really the centre,” says Ricardo. “And you can feel also the landscape better while you are inside the water. A nice feeling of being really involved in the surrounds,” says Maria Ana. “And...

Paint Finishing: Michel Belt-Sanding: Graça and Graça Michel is in charge of the painting department at the De La Espada factory. Twenty years working as a painter in the car industry, well-known for its demanding skill level and intensive R&D, gave him a deep understanding of his craft which he has built upon for the last ten years as part of our team. He oversees all painting, staining, and lacquering at our factory, and works closely with our product development team to devise new finishes. His expertise allows him to create finishes with colour precision that successfully balance lustre...

OUR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TEAM “We are the ones who connect all the dots.” We are fortunate to work with design partners we admire, both personally and professionally. Each brings personality, vibrancy, and their own particular way of working, collectively playing a role in defining the diverse yet constant aesthetic of De La Espada. Each collaboration is unique, yet all require close communication in order to harness the unique skills of each partner and work toward a common vision. Key to this process is our product development team. Andrew, Kuma, Ruben and André work closely with our...