Etel Carmona
A self-taught designer, Etel Carmona began her professional career in the 1980s, restoring pieces of vintage furniture at her São Paulo country house. Under the layers of paint and varnish, she discovered marvelous woods and pieces with peerless construction and fell in love. Since then she has adopted the philosophy of wood as a jewel. Treating Brazilian woods as jewels so that they can be properly cared for, valorized and preserved. Recovering the classic techniques of traditional woodworking in order to leave the beauty of the joints and mortices evidently visible. For the designer, the fabrication of sturdy, rigorously constructed pieces makes people aware of the historical roots of Brazilian furniture, while also ensuring the formation of a dialectics with the design of our time. In 1988 she founded ETEL, a company dedicated to making the highest quality furniture, by renowned designers, with a focus on customization and exclusivity. Today, it is considered the most expressive brand of luxury Brazilian furniture, present in the main markets worldwide, such as those of New York, Los Angeles, London, Lisbon, Zürich, Toronto and others. Since 1999 ETEL has been involved with sustainable projects with wood from managed forests in the Amazon region, as well as the professional training of the forest residents. In 2001, ETEL was one of the first furniture companies in Brazil to receive FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification. In 2002 the designer founded AVER Amazônia in the city of Xapuri, state of Acre, which produces pieces made of wood and other forest products with the FSC green seal. Her involvement with the region gave rise to the first certified humanitarian forest in Brazil. She is a founding member of the Brazilian forest company AMATA, whose main product is certified wood and the use of forests for multiple uses beyond lumber, including environmental services aligned with the recent demand for activities with the potential to reduce global warming. Etel Carmona creates and produces pieces to be passed on for generations. Furniture that breathes, inspiring generations, imbued with the past but wholly contemporary.