Branca® is a Lisbon-born furniture brand that embodies a commitment to slow design and structural integrity. Led by curator and designer Marco Sousa Santos, the brand’s methodology is a Synthesis of Design, Technology, and Tradition, creating lasting pieces that have achieved global acclaim in institutions like the V&A and MOMA.
The Founder and the Synthesis of Design
The identity of Branca® is inseparable from the vision of its founder and art director, Marco Sousa Santos. A prominent Lisbon-based Portuguese designer, curator, and former professor, Sousa Santos has spent decades influencing national design culture, notably through founding the Experimenta Design biennial and Proto Design.
His work with Branca® is the practical embodiment of his philosophy, which is based on the synthesis of sesign, technology, and tradition. This process represents true design diligence: every piece is rigorously investigated across function, ergonomics, and structural integrity before launch. The result is furniture that achieves an aesthetic of minimalist mimplicity and sophisticated elegance, aiming to create potential classics rather than follow fleeting trends.
The Dialogue Between Digital and Craft
The unique structural signature of Branca® is rooted in the fusion of the ancient and the modern. The brand prides itself on working with high-quality craft producers and wood experts in northern Portugal—a region renowned for its expertise in solid wood furniture.
The production is a deliberate dialogue between man and machine. While the brand honors traditional Portuguese wood joinery and hand assembly, it simultaneously leverages digital design (CNC technology) for precision cutting and preparation. This innovative partnership ensures that the delicate qualities characteristic of craft-led production are maintained, while achieving the structural solidity and formal purity required of contemporary, high-end furniture. This method avoids the pitfalls of mass production, imbuing each piece with the small, unique features typical of handmade quality.
The brand uses top-quality materials, including solid wood (oak, ash, walnut) and engineered wood, ensuring that material efficiency and sustainability are central to its designs.
Structural Purity and Global Authority
The visual aesthetic of Branca® prioritizes material integrity and structural clarity. The furniture typically features a Natural and Restrained Palette, relying on the inherent beauty of solid wood (oak, ash, walnut), with design elements that often draw from biological structures or functional archetypes. The signature exposed wood joinery is not merely structural; it is the primary aesthetic detail, showcasing the diligence and expertise behind the assembly.
This deliberate approach to craft and form has earned Branca® significant international validation. The founder’s work has been exhibited in premier global design institutions, including the V&A Museum (London), the MOMA Design Store (New York), and the Triennale di Milano. Furthermore, the brand’s own products have received industry recognition, including the prestigious Archiproducts Design Award in 2017. Most recently, the brand hosted the retrospective “Chairman – 15 Years on Chairs by Marco Sousa Santos” during Lisbon Design Week, celebrating the chair as both a functional object and a personal design manifesto. This continuous flow of institutional validation confirms Branca’s role as a major voice shaping contemporary Portuguese design on the global stage.
