Gustavo Bittencourt

Born in Rio de Janeiro into an architect's family, Gustavo has been preparing to become a designer since childhood. After graduating from the Faculty of Industrial Design at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Gustavo participated in furniture competitions and won prizes. He continued his studies at the Politecnico di Torino and went on to work with renowned designers in his country. These include Zanini de Zanine, Marcelo Rosenbaum and Rodrigo Calixto. In his work, Gustavo cleverly combines different materials such as stone and metal, straw and leather, but above all wood. In the workshop he opened in Petropolis, he works with 12 different types of wood, admiring the textures and aromas characteristic of each. This is why he never hides his pieces under a layer of paint or varnish: all his pieces are treated exclusively with special waxes or natural oils. Bittencourt makes his furniture to last for many years, to remain modern and to become part of the family heritage of its owners. He says that he deliberately does not seek inspiration from the furniture of other furniture makers, but rather studies painting and architecture so as not to copy other people's objects. It is safe to say that Joan Miró and Le Corbusier are among those who have influenced Gustavo's aesthetic a lot.

«What makes my furniture unique is that I put my own soul into each piece with my own hands, which itself is one of a kind.»