André Carvalho is an architect and designer who has been dedicated to furniture design since 2012. He began his journey in college, taking woodworking courses and experimenting extensively in the labs of FAUUSP, where he became fascinated with the possibility of bringing his designs and ideas to life.
A few years before graduating, he teamed up with two college friends and started doing some woodworking projects for friends and family. In a rented warehouse in Vila Anglo, São Paulo, with basic machinery, the focus was on designing and producing furniture with their own hands. The act of making was always the central interest, and participation in the entire process was fundamental.
The work began to pay off, and thus Farpa was born, where André and his partners designed and produced furniture and objects for over eight years.
In 2022, André began to put more energy and focus into designing and developing new pieces, solely signed by him. The desire to dedicate himself more intensely to furniture design, research new materials, and achieve more efficient production is what drives this new phase, without leaving behind the experience of working in the workshop during these years.
The experience of getting hands-on and working directly with the production of the pieces guides and informs the new designs, which are always based on production possibilities, with great respect for raw materials and made to last.
In addition to functionality, comfort, and durability, essential concepts in his production, André intends for his pieces to promote the creation of emotional and poetic bonds with users.
Most of his production is outsourced to workshops and factories in São Paulo. In his workshop, located in Botucatu, São Paulo, where he lives, André prototypes the pieces and conducts development tests, as well as producing custom pieces and special projects.
One of André's dreams has always been to combine and unite the work of design and woodworking with architecture. In 2023, André signed his first project and began to increasingly pursue this union.
"The concepts are the same - respect for raw materials, for those who work with them, building emotional bonds through objects and built spaces, and producing things that last a long time - what changes a bit is the scale and the time for each thing to happen."
