It’s difficult to imagine that furniture designer Hugo França was ever an office drone, let alone one in a São Paulo computer company. Luckily for those of us who lust after his one-off pieces, a combination of factors (including political disenchantment with the then Brazilian government) led him to retreat, in the 1980s, from the world of micro-chips to the jungles of Bahia where he learned to work with wood; in particular, the raw hardwood from the Pequi tree.
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With tightly woven fibres and a high resin content, a mature Pequi produces fireproof and extremely hard timber. And since França only works with naturally felled or burnt trees, his pieces are endowed with a distinctly virtuous eco-friendly glow. More to the point, the supply of naturally felled Pequi timber is limited and so, there is every possibility that within the next decade, França will start working in another material. Given that a França piece routinely fetches prices in the five to six figure range, this only adds to the designer’s cachet.
For the moment, França crafts huge organic pieces of furniture from his carefully sourced supplies – some blocks are as old as a 1,000 years and can weigh as much as a ton. Each is shaped by the original tree trunk and so, there is always a natural tactility and resonance – almost a primal hum – whether they be hulking, yet elegant tables, deeply scooped benches or muscular asymmetrical chaises.
These days, França is a darling on the interior design scene – his massive pieces show up everywhere from Dubaian pied à terres and Hampton backyards to Philippe Starck’s Hotel Fasano in Rio de Janeiro. Neophtyes and long-time fans alike should hot-foot it to Tribeca where his solo exhibition has – like the precious Pequi timber – a very limited run.
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