When asked about why he writes, Portuguese writer Antonio Lobo Antunes once answered: “Ask an apple tree why it bears apples”. During our conversation at his studio/showroom in Humaitá, Sérgio Rodrigues used this very quote to describe his own work, an analogy he uses to answer the people who question him about “not following trends” or designing today things that seem to have been designed 40 years ago.

At 85 years of age, Rodrigues is not particularly concerned with critics, not even with the esprit du temps. His designs – over 1,500 of them – are reflections of how he draws and thinks, processes that have remained largely untouched over his long career. He is one of Brazil’s pioneers in furniture design and remains an inspiration for designers all over the country – but particularly abroad, as his work has gained increased recognition and value over the last years.

Rodrigues is a pleasure to talk to, and our hour and a half was surely not enough to learn more about his achievements, friendships, failures and curious stories (like Kim Novak’s goat standing on a Poltrona Mole in her house in California) he talks about with great wit and generousity.

We’ll be meeting again on September 15th, when Sérgio will come to New York for the launch of his collection of lamps and “Chifruda” chair at Espasso.

I first knew of Gerson Oliveira and Luciana Martins’ work when I assisted Guta Moura Guedes on the research for the &Fork book back in 2006. Their studio is called ,Ovo, and I had it on my São Paulo list from early on. I arrived at their Vila Olímpia address quite late in the day (7pm is actually night time in the Autumn), and managed to have a great chat with Gerson – Luciana said hi on her way from a meeting to a dinner.

Luciana and Gerson’s studio is found upstairs from the store/gallery that works as a showroom of their work and a space for exhibitions and events. Gerson first guided me through their design, particularly their brand new collection of cabinet units and sofas, of which I immediately became a great fan. Then we stepped inside and sat down, we talked extensively about their references – most of which come from Brazilian contemporary art – but also about how they themselves cross the thin line of design and art with their work for museums and galleries. Two of their designs have also recently been the focus of a Master thesis dissertation.

I was really taken however  on Gerson’s perspective regarding their design/business model. Instead of working for manufacturers, ,Ovo has been developing their own brand. They therefore work with manufacturers, not for them – they are the end client, making the manufacturer more of a partner/supplier. ,Ovo manages the whole process, from design to production, from distribution to marketing and sales. Given the scale and complexity of most of their designs, it sounds like quite an undertaking. But this is something that, according to Gerson, has been a feature of Brazilian furniture design for decades – from Joaquim Tenreiro to Sérgio Rodrigues, from Carlos Motta to Humberto and Fernando Campana – and has worked perfectly well for them thus far. But with growing international exposure and an ever more diversified – and refreshing – body of work, I’d be curious to see if things won’t change for ,Ovo in the near future.