ESPASSO

Etel Carmona heads her own furniture-making company, Etel Marcenaria, which sets an important standard in the design and manufacture of furniture in Brazil. The company’s guiding philosophy reflects the pioneering spirit of its owner. The preference for certified wood - meaning ecological cutting, the preservation of young trees and sustainable forest management - demonstrates the high ethical standards of this avant-garde designer. This same social awareness is what prompted the studio to become a studio-school. The pieces have no superfluous adornments, and bear clean structural lines, with perfect finishing. Traditional woodworking techniques like marquetry are combined with new finishing methods using gold dust, copper, natural polishing and textures, effectively linking each design to the best of past and present surface styling.

The quality of Etel Carmona’s furniture has become widely known through exhibitions in Brazil and abroad, most notably Expo 2000 INDUSTRIAL FAIR, HANNOVER, GERMANY, 2000; Parallels - Designers Who Made a Difference in the 20 th Century at the Rio Design Center, Rio de Janeiro, 1999; Brazilian Furniture Exhibition, Milan, Italy 1995; ICFF - International Contemporary Furniture Fair, New York, 1994 and 2001; Product Salon- Architecture of Interiors, Museum of the Brazilian House, São Paulo, 1993; Biennial of Architecture, São Paulo, 1993; Brazil Design Event, São Paulo, 1992-1993; Curitiba Biennial, Paraná, 1994 (awarded Maximum Quality Seal); II Product Salon-Architecture of Interiors, Museum of the Brazilian House, São Paulo, 1994; and the exhibition Brazilian Chairs, Museum of the Brazilian House, São Paulo, 1994.