Expormim makes rattan thrive again with Gata & Gres by Miguel and Gonzalo Milá

The Salone del Mobile preview took place on March 22 in an emblematic space of the Barcelona district of Sants, an old greenhouse where, together with Gata & Gres, Expormim displayed those pieces that have helped it make rattan thrive again, such as the iconic Nautica swing chair or the Fontal chair.

“I might have done something good because everybody loves me so much at the end of my life”, Miguel Milá confessed in a small group. So much truth in so few words: he has done many good things and most people love him and respect him, that's more than evident if we pay heed to all the people he managed to draw to the presentation of his new collection on March 22 at Flowers by Bornay in Barcelona.

Gonzalo, his son, was always by his side taking good care of him. He has worked hand in hand with his father in the design of the chair, Gata, thus called in homage to the craftsmen of Gata de Gorgos, a small village in the province of Alicante where Miguel learnt how to work rattan 50 years ago. Miguel Milá is now picking the fruits of the seeds he has been sowing for all his long and productive life, as a designer and a person. But despite all the praise, he remains humble and unpretentious: “Do you understand me now when I tell you that I have learnt a great deal?”, he said during the press conference in a nod to Gonzalo.

Both are masters and apprentices in a two-way relationship where their huge capacity to dialogue and discuss points of view is clearly visible. “I started to work with him when I was a student. Then I set up in my own. Although we have separate studios, we have worked together to produce several pieces. I have learnt from him and it is easy for us to talk about things because we resemble each other”, Gonzalo explains. “We share aesthetic criteria because we come from a similar education, but we have managed to keep our own personality. I am so delighted to work with him”, Miguel highlights.

The result of their last collaboration is Gata which, according to Miguel, “is the most difficult design I have ever done because there are thousands of chairs and many high-level. Producing a chair that is just a bit better in any aspect is complicated. But we did it, or at least I believe so”. Gonzalo points out that it has been possible thanks to the “quiet pace allowed by Expormim. We were able to evolve without rushing”.

It took several years to reach the final result, an evolution we wanted to make visible through the different prototypes from the very first one. “For me, functionality, comfort and ergonomics always come first and immediately there comes aesthetics. I have always claimed a chair remains unused most of the time. When there is no one sitting on it, the chair helps building the space, creates an atmosphere. And Gata accomplishes this”, Miguel explains.

Together with Gata, the reedition of the Gres stools, created from a piece dating back to 1962. Though they were not included in the initial plans, after landing purely by chance in Expormim during one of Gonzalo and Miguel's trips to the factory, it ended up shaping two new products: a high and a low stool. A lucky discovery and one more anecdote to add to this story that we will never get tired of telling.

Miguel states he has learnt a lot from Expormim, for example, how to industrialize the material without affecting the craft process or how to control the diameter and resistance of the cane by simply stripping the skin away. But, undoubtedly, it is us who have learnt many a lesson from him: love for the profession, know-how and poise, honesty, humbleness and naturalness. Maybe that's why his designs transmit so much with so little and become everlasting classics from the moment they are born.

Miguel and Gonzalo, as well as the architects, interior designers, journalists and friends who dropped by the space that day and especially during the evening event, agreed in their prediction that the collection is going to be a huge success. Gata & Gres will be displayed again in the forthcoming edition of the Salone del Mobile in Milan. After the warm welcome received in Barcelona, Expormim faced the fair with confidence and as always, with excitement.

Gata, rattan stripped to the bone

Gata originates from a thorough search for balance between the different elements, shapes and diameters of the rattan cane in order to produce a comfortable and resistant seating, as well as an aesthetically harmonic one. Its lines flow smoothly to create a handle at the top of the backrest making its transport easier and bringing to light one of its main virtues: its lightness.

Although apparently simple, its design process has gone through multiple stages and reviews, always under the watchful supervision of Miguel and his son Gonzalo, with whom he shares authorship. A rattan chair, plainly and simply, without additives, functional and made to last. The way good design should be now as ever, according to Milá.

Gata is joined by the later edition of the Gres stools. Their structure emerges from a game of tangent lines between their four organic frames and of those with the seat, thus securing stability and at the same turning them almost transparent.

This updated version of the historic stools turns them into an essential piece and emphasizes the everlasting validity of a particular design method, one standing aside from fashion trends and the conventions of a specific era. This is Milá in his true essence. No expiration date. How else could it be?

Source: Expormim

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