We have a special fondness for brands initiated by an artisan that has gained international acclaim. The story of Laskasas is that of a 14-year-old artisan who followed his calling to become CEO of a world-renowned brand.
At the age of 14, Celso Lascasas worked in the high-end furniture industry as a craftsman living with the motto that focus drives achievement. His tag phrase “Never give up, always have faith” has followed him on the journey of gaining experience and founding the Portuguese brand Laskasas in November 2004. The group now has over 400 employees and over 40 physical locations (stores and showrooms) worldwide.
The in-house designs are built by the team in their factory in the north of Portugal using custom materials, finishes and sizes requested on demand by clients, making customization the heart of the brand’s handcrafted visions. Laskasas launched its new collection in January, in preparation for its debut in the Maison&Objet event which got postponed to March. As planned, the brand exhibited its latest collection at the Maison&Objet fair in Paris last month, including a number of eye-catching pieces, mixing the new collection with iconic designs.
“The Laskasas new collection is based on simple clean modern lines, inspired by Italian design. When we are developing a product it’s always important for us to create a timeless piece with the purpose of staying ‘alive’ over the years,” stated Pedro Neto, Senior Designer at Laskasas, in an interview for the company’s blog.
Neto’s personal favorites match ours: the retro Norman TV cabinet, the modular Fletcher sofa, and the elegant Pitt tea cart. The Norman TV cabinet works well in interiors in the traditional and 50’s-inspired setting with its matte smoked oak tabletop used to house a TV, loudspeakers or even a soundbar. The Pitt tea cart features chic black iron matte shelves and a frame of sturdy stainless steel in a lustrous gilded finish, while the tray features Nero Marquina polished marble. The Fletcher sofa, which doesn’t seem to be included in the new collection but is classified as an iconic design of the brand, is a modular sofa with side, corner and central elements.
“The Norman TV cabinet makes me travel back to the ’50s, so I guess for me it’s nostalgic and a timeless piece. What I love about the Fletcher sofa is that it works like a puzzle. You can play with every single module the way you want and customize it as you want. And in the end, it will always be unique. Finally the Pitt tea cart, well it’s just an iconic piece of furniture,” stated the designer.
Another favorite of ours, certainly the product that caught our attention at one entrance to the stand, the iconic Dale chairs portray a lovely contrast in materials and geometric forms. Its vintage-inspired seating has a convex back and armrest with a metal structure and feet.
READ: An article written by CEO Celso Lascasas, “The internationalization of Laskasas and the “Portugal” brand” in March 2021.
The company had previously taken part in various design events, including DECOREX 2021 and its own private cocktail party held in the south of Spain at Laskasas Marbella. The Laskasas stand in DECOREX exhibited its furniture designs within two areas. Having showcased its most-wanted pieces such as Ann dining table, Dale Chair, Wellington sofa, Dean sideboard and more, the event organizers selected the brand for the Best Overall Stand Award. Indeed, the team repeated such hard work for its stand at Maison&Objet and drew us into the Laskasas world.
As for the cocktail party held in the south of Spain, with a beautiful view of the Mediterranean sea, Laskasas Spain was the perfect scenery to introduce the brand’s pieces with a strong presence of the relevant people from the interior design scene. During the event, plastic artist JoGis Art did a live painting to drive creative inspiration, resulting in a glamourous piece of art that, with the help of live music, generated a different and exclusive experience for every guest.
Laskasas supports professionals in more than one way. The company also has a design trade program available for interior designers, architects, home stagers or licensed general contractors that work with homeowners on their design or improvement projects. Laskasas Trade partners receive exclusive discounts with no minimum spend including further discounts on sale items, along with support for the customization and buying process, as well as access to a single point of contact to provide advice, consolidate orders and product information.
Certain pieces exemplify the integration of Laskasas into professional projects. Set Concepts, for example, worked on a luxurious residence for SLS Hotel Dubai in which the experienced boutique interior design company from Dubai had to combine a living room with the dining room in order to display an elegant open space. For this project, the design company selected the Wellington sofa and Abrose armchair. In a project by Clé de Maison, in which they had to merge two apartments and design a luxury, spacious penthouse apartment in Vilnius old town with a spectacular rooftop terrace with a jacuzzi; the designers selected Lady bedside table and Rosie dressing table.
