From Solid Wood to crafted furniture: De La Espada

A hymn to the wonders of wood, De La Espada, based on Portugal’s Silver Coast between Lisbon and Porto, is a furniture-making company of craftspeople, woodworkers and designers who have the utmost respect for our most natural of resources: wood. 

Mid-century in aesthetic and influenced by the Scandi style of the 50s, De La Espada’s chairs, side tables, armchairs, beds, benches and sideboards provide everything you need for your home, each piece a testament to beautiful craftsmanship and durability, made to look good with a timeless quality that will last a lifetime or more.

First and foremost, De La Espada are furniture-makers since 1993, founded by Luis De Oliveira and Fatima De La Espada, who hail from Porto and Madrid respectively. De La Espada’s original objective was to create meaningful furniture crafted with diligence and care, and made with old-fashioned joinery techniques. 

At their inception, De La Espada was inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement. It’s easy to see the influence of the simplicity of architects such as John Pawson, whose play of light and dark create extraordinarily peaceful spaces where a De La Espada piece of furniture could complement with ease. Similarly, Japanese architect Tadao Ando has a clean aesthetic where less is always more.

Recent years have seen De La Espada work more collaboratively. As their name grows within the industry, becoming synonymous with detail, craftsmanship and quality, designers from across the globe have called upon De La Espada and their methods to take charge of bringing their furniture designs to life, creating pieces for hotels, restaurants and private homes. De La Espada also have their own in-house team, who bring the rich heritage of Portugal to contemporary Scandinavian design.

Recent collaborations include a smooth, sculptural set of furniture by French designer Anthony Guerrée, inspired by Joshua Tree and its unpolluted night sky. The collection called Orion sees warm wooden slats meet the curvature of copper. Imitable British designer Matthew Hilton is a huge fan of solid wood and, in particular, the way it ages – yet the quality of his work with De La Espada feels delicate, light-touched and fully engaged with the robustness of wood. His round-backed Windsor Burnham Chair is a delight; the Fin Dining Chair has a fine chunkiness to it.

What undoubtedly keeps international designers buzzing around like bees to honey is De La Espada’s steadfast ethos when it comes to production, sustainability and the actual making of the furniture. You won’t find any easy-builds here, with most of the furniture made out of numerous pieces, carefully bonding and interlocking using a variety of traditional joinery techniques, including mortise and tenon, lap joints, wedge tenon and dovetail joinery. By using local talent and skilled woodworkers, they not only keep this craft alive, but the result is a solid piece of furniture that is as tactile and beautiful to look at as it is firmly unshakable. 

They do, however, make use of modern technology to assist their work, with a team of techies to enable CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) machinery, CAD (Computer Aided Design) and CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing), although this is just one part of a process that includes rough cutting of planks, sanding, hand finishing, oiling, painting and assembly. High-grade timber is sourced from sustainable farms, where forests are managed in regard to planting, pruning and replanting. 

The full package, a De La Espada object, brings longevity, functionality and, ultimately, joy to the home.