In designing Chair One, Manuel explored the idea of pushing against established ideas about the limits in product design: if it is possible to make a solid wood chair thinner or lighter. He was inspired by Jasper Morrison’s Ply chair for Vitra, no longer in production, which was crafted from plywood, and set about achieving such visual levity in solid wood.

“In a restoration project of a palace in Lisbon, I was looking for a chair for the dining room. The space was very tall, with French windows. An almost cubic, generous space, with lioz stone on the floor, on the trim of the openings and wainscoting — a perfect space. I was looking for a chair that would simultaneously not interfere with the space, yet enhance it. Jasper Morrison’s chair, Ply, seemed like an obvious choice. In a more ordinary context, at home, I chose this chair which, for me, became the chair. When I thought about designing a chair, this one — so familiar — was present.

In the design of Chair One, we sought lightness, which, to be achieved in wood, required us to adopt a constructive rationality. A mathematical efficiency. We started from a stress diagram, somewhat in the style of Jean Prouvé and the design of his furniture. An idea of designing at the limit — where comfort appears to us as a surprise,” Manuel Aires Mateus.

Collaborating with De La Espada, the combined woodworking and engineering expertise allowed for the elegant realisation of this design challenge.

Neri&Hu is an interdisciplinary architectural design practice led by co-founders Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu. Their work is internationally renowned, earning them accolades including the Frame magazine Lifetime Achievement Award, Designers of the Year from ELLE Decor International Design Awards, and induction into the Interior Design Hall of Fame.

Deltag | Encounters features classic Neri&Hu designs for De La Espada, including the Capo, Trio, and Frame collections, presented alongside the new October Chair. Neri&Hu products reflect the studio's approach to architecture and interiors: reinterpreting the beauty in raw materials, exploring changing perceptions through what is revealed, examining history and its path, and seeking to capture an ordinary scene in a snapshot. They explore themes including Reflective Nostalgia — thoughtfully bringing the past into contemporary culture — and the blurring of private vs public space.

Discover select Neri&Hu projects in our In Situ pages including Shanghai Edition Hotel, Sulwhasoo Flagship Store, and Capo Restaurant.

October Dining Armchair is a slender solid wood chair with a saddle leather seat and backrest. Thoughtful detailing brings complexity to a simple form. Neri&Hu envision the chair as the materialisation of the duality of the month of October — the melancholy of endings and the promise of renewal, as described in their design manifesto:

“The Chair as a Dialectic of Beginnings

Neri and Hu envision this chair not merely as an object, but as the material embodiment of a threshold — a quiet manifesto for the new season. October, with its crisp decay and golden transitions, serves as the perfect temporal metaphor: a month that cradles both the melancholy of endings and the promise of renewal. The fall semester, too, carries this duality — an academic rebirth against the backdrop of nature’s surrender.

The chair’s design materialises this tension. Its walnut structure, solid and enduring, speaks to the permanence of institutional wisdom, while the supple leather upholstery — malleable, responsive—invites the body to imprint its transient presence. Together, they enact a dialectic: the friction between stability and adaptation, tradition and reinvention. To sit here is to occupy the liminal space where change is not just possible but necessary, where every new beginning demands the subtle violence of unlearning.

In this way, the chair becomes more than furniture; it is a provocation. A call to inhabit the discomfort of transformation, to wrestle — as all meaningful beginnings must — with the weight of what is and the lightness of what might be,” Neri&Hu

October Chair is crafted by expert woodworkers and upholsterers at the De La Espada workshop in Portugal.

Thoughtfully curated by Pernille Vest, the Deltag | Encounters exhibition centres welcome, tactility and togetherness, reflecting the minimalistic yet warm, feminine aesthetic for which the Danish interior stylist is renowned. Uniting the work of De La Espada and Garde Hvalsøe and drawing from their shared fusion of hand craft and modern aesthetics, Pernille created a space with a series of vignettes that encourage interaction and participation — gathering around tables, in kitchens, in living spaces. The exhibition design sets the tone for conversation and encourages indulgence in the materiality and detailing of the De La Espada and Garde Hvalsøe products. 

Pernille styled the space with carefully selected art and design objects in materials including ceramic, textile, and wood by creators including Akiko Ken Made, Camilla Reyman, Pia Engström Agesen, Dupont Atelier, Ladies & Gentlemen Studio and many more. A refined, harmonious interior vision that celebrates the beauty of natural materials, textures, and craftsmanship from an international perspective.

On June 18th, guests of the exhibition enjoyed a warm, lively design discussion between Manuel Aires Mateus and Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu of Neri&Hu, a rare opportunity to hear these celebrated architects and dynamic speakers in conversation. The architects shared insights on craftsmanship, materiality, and the dialogue between space, function, and emotion. With humour and insight, they discussed the relationship between architecture and furniture, sources of inspiration, and the nuances of collaboration.

An excerpt from the discussion, exploring the creation of architecture vs furniture:

“The modern movement […] ethos came from the idea that furniture, art and architecture are one and the same thing… The [furniture] pieces are very much subservient to a spatial construct, for us. The furniture was never conceived as something purely by itself and for itself. I think it’s constantly part of a spatial — human — context that we work within that space,” Lyndon Neri.

“Even if I agree with what you said, I think there is a big difference because in architecture we are working on something that is unique. So it’s only a specific problem that is not going to be repeated… In furniture, we have to design things that are going to be used by people that you never talk with…Here, we look for the common ground,” Manuel Aires Mateus.

“I would say, while I do agree that you are looking at a contrast between specificity and site in-situ considerations within the architectural realm, and in furniture, it's more about the industrialised mass production, I think that might also be changing. So architecture might be moving towards repeated mass production and then furniture, I think with AI, could be moving more and more towards [individual solutions], ” Rossana Hu.

De La Espada and Garde Hvalsøe have a shared reverence for one another’s work. We are aligned in our uncompromising approach and our unwavering dedication to creating products where every element is the best it can be, from materials to detailing to endurance to emotional connection.

Søren Lundh Aagaard, CEO of Garde Hvalsøe, shares some kind words about us, admiration we wholeheartedly reciprocate:

“Our continued collaboration with De La Espada has only deepened my respect for their extraordinary approach to furniture making. It reaffirms my belief that true craftsmanship is a universal language — one that transcends borders and generations, connecting us through a shared passion that deserves to be protected, nurtured, passed on, and celebrated. We are proud to invite guests to experience the epitome of master carpentry — a living expression of timeless skill and design.”

 Our shared ethos has not only resulted in two exhibitions and a strong friendship, but in a new product, as well. A new wardrobe designed and crafted by Garde Hvalsøe, features woven timber doors made by De La Espada craftspeople, using the same technique as the woven timber panels on De La Espada Atelier’s Arts & Crafts Cabinet. It is a gesture of our mutual admiration, and a way for De La Espada to offer thanks and support for Garde Hvalsøe’s outstanding work.

The Deltag | Encounters exhibition is a sensory experience centring materiality, craft, and thoughtful, timeless design; an example of the power of design to create meaningful spaces for human connection.

Every surface invites touch, every detail tells a story, and every moment encourages you to linger. Whether gathered around a finely crafted kitchen, sharing a conversation over coffee, or immersing yourself in the artistry of each piece, this is a space to participate, connect, and engage.

Deltag is Danish for participate — an invitation not just to observe, but to engage, connect, and become part of the experience.

The exhibition remains open until August 8.

EXHIBITION DATES
June 18 - August 8, 2025

LOCATION
Garde Hvalsøe
Esplanaden 8D
1263 Copenhagen

MORE INFORMATION
Garde Hvalsøe