Testimony

— Edson Athayde

Advertiser

I must confess that I’m not really a specialist in furniture. I’ve lived, for instance, for four years in an apartment where the only pieces of furniture existing were a sofa, a bed and a TV set (by the way, is a tv set a piece of furniture?). I’m only mentioning it, to say it clear that my enchantment for the Nuno’s creations goes a bit beyond the fact that I find it beautiful. As I don’t value much the useful things, to catch my attention, a piece of furniture has to be something very noble, very personal, very creative.

I may seem a bit sceptical, but to me, as a rule, a table is only a table, a cupboard is merely a cupboard, the same way that a cow is just a coe and a chicken is not more than a pile of feathers. Thence, I was somehow stunned when I found out that a table could help to illustrate concepts, philosophies, even of the person who bought.

I met the creator and its creatures at the same time. Nuno was having a meeting with a common friend and had a Catalogue with some of his furniture. Right there I decided that it would be Nuno’s furniture to fill the geographic empty spaces of my life. It so happened with my first enterprise (organised around a table designed by Nuno), it so happened with my apartment, it so happened with my second enterprise and, I hope, it will happen again with my third and fourth.

As you may see, I’m a sort of Nunodependent, and be careful, besause you may become the next one.

As you may see, I’m a sort of Nunodependent, and be careful, besause you may become the next one. And if I were you, I’d leave this catalogue immediately, before you become permanently enchanted, and begin questioning the decoration of your entire place. Your furniture is not worth being compared to Nuno’s. Just as you are not worth being compared to Tom Cruise or Claudia Schiffer.

But, if my advice is still on time, don’t get upset. Until today, nobody has died for having a good taste. Or, such as my uncle Olavo would say: “The important is not to like beautiful things. The important is that the beautiful things like you”.

in Colecção Nuno Lacerda Lopes, 2000

Testimony

Não sei se é um grande argumento de venda, mas não é fácil viver numa casa com os móveis do Nuno. Não que eles sejam desconfortáveis, já disse que não, pelo contrário. É que de vez em quando sentimos inveja deles. Explico: desde há muitos anos, tenho no meu apartamento algumas peças nunonianas (há até mesmo um móvel baptizado com o meu nome, coisas do criador, que tem a ma­nia de dar nomes de pessoas às coisas, um cristão novo ao revés, capaz de chamar um pedaço de madeira de carvalho de José, quando todos sabemos os Josés é que costumam ser de Carvalho, Pinho ou simplesmente Barrote). Pois bem, dou­-me bem com as minhas cadeiras, mesas, armários do Nuno, eles costumam ser tranquilos, quietos e, apesar de móveis, não vão nunca a lado nenhum. Porém, quando recebo visitas, acabo por durante alguns minutos tornando-me acessó­rio irrelevante da minha própria casa. Os convidados não se coibem de elogiar a estética do mobiliário e, creio, concluem rapidamente que tal nível de beleza me é imerecido. Nessas horas penso seriamente em por fogo no apartamento. Depois vou numa loja qualquer e compro um mobiliário incaracterístico, desses prontos a usar, de preferência feio, melhor ainda, com inclinações kitch. Mas pen­so melhor e acabo por não fazer nada disso. Sento-me numa das minhas (dele) belas cadeiras, acendo um cigarro, tomo um bom vinho e recolho-me na certeza de que, afinal, o que é bonito vicia.