Portuguese Roots

HISTORY

The story behind

its creation.

The

BEGINNING

The value of an object it’s not only in the object itself, but the story that’s behind it. And this story begins in 1953 with Gonçalo Rodrigues dos Santos, a proud Master Craftsman…

Very young, he decided to establish himself in Lisbon, Portugal, and open its own workshop. After sometime the first drawing of a chair appeared, has well has the first problem: Bending an iron tube.

Studying came next, more drawings, experiments, days, weekends, week in and week out until he finally got it: his own design and invention – his own iron bending machine.

Throughout time

After the first orders of the new chair, the design was later perfected to balance comfort and aesthetics until the 50s, where it got its final shape. By that time, it found it’s place directly on café terraces and in public parks all across the country.

Today BICAchair has become a symbol of the Portuguese tradition to gather families and friends around a table, enjoying a finely brewed cup of coffee, sharing moments.

A symbol of Portuguese
culture and tradition.

Reinterpretation of

A GREAT ICON

The Portuguese Roots Chair is a reinterpretation of a great icon of the emblematic outdoor chair in Portugal from the late 50’s. It’s also an ambicious project of a team who believe in the cultural values and the Portuguese traditions, giving them a new interpretation through the design of this unique piece. The main legacy of this young team of believers is to show the world the next icon of design of the XXI century, and tell it’s story.

Portuguese ROOTS chair is more than a chair inherited from the past, it’s a piece of history redesigned for the future.

The keeper of

SECRETS

At the tender age of 13, under the legendary master Gonçalo Rodrigues dos Santos, Serafim Pinto Leite commenced an apprenticeship and started down the road to becoming a full-fledged craftsman. Master Serafim, became the right hand man of his mentor, and was the only one who knew the inicial plans and process behind the design of the chair.

Master Serafim

Today, at 83 years of age, Master Serafim is the living memory and faithful keeper of a secret that has become an icon of Portuguese design. It is with an almost parental pride that he watches the rebirth of his chair, through the hands of his apprentice, with the name: Portuguese ROOTS chair brought by the hands of designer Alexandre Caldas to AROUNDtheTREE.

Portuguese ROOTS Chair