Etel Design: the breeding ground of Brazilian wood design

Etel Design is a manufacturer of design furniture and interior objects that focuses exclusively on design products by Brazilian designers past and present. The São Paulo-based company stands for Brazilian craftsmanship, in which authentic types of wood and techniques are the determining factors. Since the 1990s, Etel has conquered the world and has branches and distributors in many countries.

 

The power of natural wood

The Brazilian design house owes its existence to a love of wood. Founder Etel Carmona specialised in restoring wooden furniture around 1980. During her work, she was captivated by the beauty of natural wood and Brazilian furniture design. Inspired by the power of wood design, Carmona decided to open a workshop in 1985 to relaunch historical furniture by Brazilian designers. Since then, Etel Design has kept the past alive, but products by modern designers are also released. Carmona, alone or in cooperation with other designers, has also built up an extensive oeuvre consisting of tables, chairs, cabinets, decorative objects and lamps.

 

Wood with FSC label

Many of the designers that Etel Design represents use tropical wood in their products. And that’s not just furniture. Lamps, vases, bottles and bowls are often made entirely or partially of wood. The types of wood that are typical of the Etel range include canela, cumaru, frejó, imbuia, ipe, jequitiba, louro preto, pau-marfim, peroba do campo, sucupira, tauari and timbauba. Most of them come from Brazil and other South American countries. In order to protect the rainforest, Etel Design has been involved in projects that promote the sustainable use of wood from the Amazon region since 1999. In 2001, the design house was one of the first in Brazil to be awarded the FSC label.

 

Brazilian designers past and present

The collection of Etel Design is very extensive. An important place is reserved for classic Brazilian design pieces from the 20th century. The range includes furniture by Oscar Niemeyer, Lina Bo Bardi, Jorge Zalszupin, Sergio Rodrigues, Oswaldo Bratke and Branco & Preto, among others. Branco & Preto was a group of designers from 1950-1955 who created groundbreaking furniture made with Brazilian materials. Etel Design decided to reintroduce some Branco & Preto furniture in 2005. Influential contemporary Etel designers include Isay Weinfeld, Dado Castello Branco and Carlos Motta.

 

Modern icons by Carlos Motta design

Carlos Motta is a representative of modern Brazilian design. His work consists mainly of chairs and armchairs. Ergonomic design and respect for nature characterise the Carlos Motta design. In addition to FSC wood, he often uses recycled steel. The Atelier line is one of the most important Etel product series from Motta. It consists of seating that Motta designed between 1970 and 2005, including the CM7, the Saquarema chairs and the Luna chair created at the request of Oscar Niemeyer.

 

 

Purchasing Etel Design at Obumex

Would you like to enjoy the beauty and comfort of Brazilian wood furniture by Etel Design? Use the contact form on our website for pricing information or make an appointment in our showroom.

 

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