Brazil is well known for its beaches, its music, its arts and its vibrant and sensual culture, but when it comes to contemporary Brazilian design, the biggest names are surprisingly little known, especially in the UK. It’s a situation that Silvia Nayla and her business partner Daniela Martins are on a mission to change. In 2007, they opened Silvia Nayla, an interiors shop and design service on Notting Hill’s Westbourne Grove, showcasing the work of Brazil’s most iconic designers, including Hugo França, Sergio Rodrigues and Pedro Petry, alongside designs from Brazil’s most vulnerable communities.

But what makes Brazilian design so unique? Why does the environment play such an important role? And what are Silvia and Daniela hoping to achieve by bringing Brazilian design to the UK? The Good Web Guide met up with the enterprising design duo to find out more…..

When did you and Daniela meet?

S: About 19 years ago. I bought a farm here in Brazil. I wanted to do it up differently to the other farms I’d seen. I knew Daniela was an interior designer, her mother was an interior designer, so I said, ‘okay, let’s work together on this’.

What made you decide to go into business together?

D: It was some years later when Silvia found out about the number of artists that we had within Brazilian furniture. Because she lives here (in London) and has done for 17 years, she wasn’t that aware of furniture in Brazil. She said ‘Wow. We have so many beautiful things and talented designers here’. We started asking ourselves why they weren’t being shown in London.

And why weren’t Brazilian designers being properly represented in Britain?

S: That’s easy – they didn’t have a Silvia Nayla shop! I don’t know, there was a lack of initiative amongst people to bring Brazilian design here and ten years ago people cared less about organic design. From a retailer’s perspective, it’s also easier to go to the Milan Furniture Fair and pick five or six designers than it is to go to Brazil, where you need to do the research, know the market and speak the language.

Where did the idea to combine an interior design business and a shop come from?

S: It felt very natural. When a client comes in, at first they are a bit lost. They don’t know the furniture or where it comes from. We explain that it’s from Brazil and they go ‘Wow, it’s from Brazil!’ Then they want to get more involved with the work and use an interior designer who can mix Brazilian style with their own pieces at home.

Do you think that Brazilian design has a unique identity? What makes it so unique?

S: I think that, often, when people think of Brazil, they think ‘oh, they are destroying everything’, but in fact, it’s the opposite. Brazilian designers are so sensitive to nature and all their art is created with this unique sensibility.

Who is your favourite Brazilian designer and why?

D: This month it’s Hugo França because we have his new collection arriving (his exhibition runs from 8th – 20th October at Silvia Nayla). His work is like sculpture. He lived in small towns for years and, during that time, started to work with local people, who helped him find these huge pieces of wood. He looks at a fallen tree and can see a bench or a chair or a table. He sees the shape and starts working right there before taking it back to his atelier to finish. It becomes a sculpture that you can actually use.

One of your designers, Sergio Rodrigues, has a piece in the Museum of Modern Art in New York and, as you say, Hugo Franca’s work is like sculpture. When does design stop being functional and start being art?

S: Just because something is art, doesn’t mean that it stops being functional. It is sculpture but you can sit on it and touch it. It’s protected, so you would have to treat it really, really badly to damage it, and generally wood gets better as it gets older. That’s the beauty of it: it never stops being art and it never stops being functional.

Last year you completed an interior design project on Westbourne Grove. What projects are you working on now?

S: It’s the most beautiful project - another farm in Brazil. The whole house is about 20,000 square metres and 140 years old. It’s the most challenging project that I’ve ever done. I want to keep everything original, but give a contemporary and modern aspect too.

How long will it take you to complete the project?

S: I’m a fast worker. Some designers said that this project would take five years, but I said, ‘No, no. The maximum amount of time this will take is one year, two months.’ Sometimes there are 120 people working there. If a project goes on too long, you lose inspiration. It’s also less expensive as the client has less chance to change their mind!

What has been your most successful project and why?

S: Westbourne Grove - because it was a challenge. Four interior designers didn’t want to take the project, because it was so difficult. It was two apartments combined, with two terraces and a huge space. They had used another designer and it didn’t work, it was boring. I said, ‘I’ll do it, but you have to take everything out of here.’ We re-invented it completely. We used a lot of big pieces and wood really brought warmth to the place.

What is it about wood that you like so much?

S: Because you can touch it, because there’s a story behind each piece. It’s original, it’s not machine made.

Do you come across a lot of new designers? Is this an exciting time for Brazilian design?

D: It’s a very competitive time for designers. More and more small communities are organising themselves to be able to deliver a final product. When you go to a small town, you might find a wonderful piece, but it’s impossible to get another one. The piece has been created by a small family or someone’s neighbour. We see poverty every day in Brazil. Our minds are very clear in this respect: we want to bring the best of Brazilian designers, but create a space for local artisans too. We want to say, ‘This is Brazil, this is the mix.’

You’re a big fan of eco-friendly design. Why is it so important for you to support this industry and is this an area that is growing?

S: Because we are representing Brazil, the first word is eco. We have to show the rest of the world that we are playing our part to stop destruction. When you show furniture made from salvaged wood, you are helping to protect the forest. We’re saying, ‘Don’t use these trees which are alive, use the ones that have already fallen.’

In addition to the top quality designers, you also lend your support to charity Ephemeral Brazil by selling work produced by those living in favelas. How did you get involved with Ephemeral Brazil?

S: They came to us knowing that we were here representing Brazil. They are teaching people to do something with their hands and providing long-term enterprise. In two years I want to open my own Foundation at the farm and teach about plantations, how to manage forests and understand what is going on, not only in that area, but in the wider world too.

What do you hope to achieve long-term at Silvia Nayla?

D: We want to show a different Brazil: the Brazil of now. I still believe that people have the wrong idea of Brazil. It is changing a lot. Brazil is known as a poor country, but it has developed a lot in terms of wealth. People perceive it has not being evolved enough to produce sophisticated design.

What’s your favourite website?

S: Amanresorts.com. I really like the design and the website.

Interview by Emily Jenkinson

* In addition to the shop and interior design service, Silvia Nayla runs a warehouse, which clients can visit via a complimentary VIP shuttle service to view the extended collection. This also makes all items in the shop available for immediate delivery.

* Silvianayla.com re-launched on 5th October allowing visitors to view the full range online.

CONTACT
Silvia Nayla
109 Westbourne Grove, London, W2 4UW
Tel: +44 (0)20 7229 2262, Email: info@silvianayla.com, Web: www.silvianayla.com

28 September 09