Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1172262
Top: Oscar Niemeyer Alta lounge chair Above: Oscar Niemeyer Marquesa bench H ouston's new Etel furniture gallery focuses on the very best of Brazilian design from the past 100 years. Founded in 1985 by designer Etel Carmona, the São Paulo-based company reportedly has the largest and most significant collection of Brazilian design available today. Etel's daughter, Lissa Carmona, became CEO in 2008, and she has been instrumental in launching re-editions of classic designs by iconic Brazilian architects and designers such as Oscar Niemeyer, Giuseppe Scapinelli, Lina Bo Bardi, and Paulo Werneck. The company also partners with current Brazilian design stars such as Claudia Moreira Salles, Carlos Motta, and Isay Weinfeld, and has teamed with architects Domingos Pascali, Sarkis Semerdjian, and Osvaldo Tenório. BEST OF BRAZIL BRAZILIAN DESIGN IS SIZZLING HOT, AND THE NEW ETEL GALLERY IN HOUSTON SHOWCASES A CENTURY OF THE BEST — FROM CONTEMPORARY FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO REISSUES OF ICONIC FURNITURE FROM THE '50S, '60S, AND '70S. BY REBECCA SHERMAN. PORTRAIT ANDREW OKANO. "I like discovering great talent and taking part in their development," Lissa says. "It's not easy for a designer to become a part of the collection. We don't want to be big; we just want to be the best." Etel's collections are sought after by celebrities including Lenny Kravitz, who owns a coffee plantation near Rio de Janeiro. The 1,100-square-foot Etel gallery is owned by Angélica Nechar and Caroline Del Papa Tonisi, both Brazilian natives who live in Houston. The longtime friends approached Lissa in 2018 with the idea to open a flagship store in the United States. "Angélica and Caroline were very much a part of my decision to open in Houston," Lissa says. "It's such a great city, with large contemporary art collections. Houston is quite avant-garde in that sense, and it was the right city at the right time for Etel." Etel, 2800 Kirby Dr. at Shops at Arrive, etel.design. From left, Etel Houston showroom co-owners Caroline Tonisi and Angélica Nechar ANDRES OTERO RUY TEIXEIRA