បទសម្ភាសន៍ជាមួយ Joana Santos Barbosa

I consider myself a mix of the three, since my career has been flowing through those three disciplines. I’m an architect and began my career by exclusively collaborating with Architecture studios. However, the passion for furniture design was always in my heart, which led me to create my own brand of author design. I launched InsidherLand ten years ago and, since then, I’ve been creating pieces of art with functionality and selling them throughout the World.

As mentioned, in the first years of my career were exclusively in Architecture, developing both urban, residential and commercial projects. At the time, I also received some special commissions of bespoke furniture and, in fact, I always loved drawing furniture long before I went to the Faculty of Architecture.

During this period, I had the desire to transform some personal ideas into design pieces but had to time available nor team to actually produce them. One day I realized, I had designed so many creations and the idea of not being able to produce them simply became unbearable to me.

When I decided to create a personal brand, I needed to get into design, find the right partners and study manufacturing processes in order to reunite a team. This process took me almost three years and in 2012 I launched InsidherLand, my own brand of author design in which I design all of the creations in the collections.

My creative process is intuitive as I develop my own DNA in the collections rather designing pieces that follow a certain style.

Overall, I look at the creative process in design with the same four pillars that I use in architecture, in the sense that there is the form, the function (the program in Architecture), the concept (the basic idea that I intend to convey with materials) and the emotion (the feeling that I intend to awaken in the viewer).

The development of prototipes and construction process occurs between the studio and the factories. It’s a team work that involves sketches, technical drawings and both mock-ups as well as real scale models to achieve the final result.

The birth of an idea is always felt with enthusiasm and I absolutely love that first glimpse. This usually happens when I'm on vacation, enjoying my free time and out of my daily routine which makes it so pleasant.

Turning a new idea into reality can be exhausting but is also a fun process. When I’m creating, I’m fully committed but I usually get quicky dethatch as soon as I release a new design. I believe this is due to the fact that this new design has been in my mind for so long that, when it is finally released to the public, I somehow feel it’s not completely mine anymore. It’s quite a strange process that, until today, I couldn’t figure it all out so I just accept it the way it happens.

From a very early age, I’ve been surrounded by art, music and dance as I’ve been both a pianist and a dancer for many years. Later on, I graduated in Architecture and although the past thirteen years of my life have been around design, I feel that I’m a designer by heart; not by choice.

There’s no doubt that my background shaped me into the creator I am, and this is reflected in all of my designs that come from conceptual approaches based on narrative and symbolism.

I started from scratch and I’m a quiet person when it comes to reveal my future plans. I have so many beautiful things still yet to release and so many goals to accomplish but prefer to carry on smoothly and reveal them when it’s the right time.

No matter what, each individual is unique and should firstly look inside to find their own creativity and strategy, rather than falling into comparison or follow the easy path of what’s trendy at the moment.

Design for others but with your own heart.

When I’m at work, my daily routine is very diverse as I have my team at the studio to manage, contact with clients and being involved in so many aspects of the business. In the middle of this, I also have my “design moments” to create new ideas and frequently I go to the factories and workshops to develop new prototypes and see the current productions. I frequently use my lunch time to connect with other people and catch up on the news.

When out of work, I often spend the late afternoons at the beach, with my family or close friends.

I never go to bed without thanking for the best moments of my day and planning the most important goals for the next day.

I don't look specifically to design trends but I'm aware of what's going on in the markets by the contact I have with the work of our clients and some interesting articles I like to read, for instance, in the Introspective, the 1stDibs magazine.

A good design obviously responds to form and function. However, a great design is like a great music that effortlessly remains in our thoughts. So, a great designer is someone that has created really great “songs” throughout time. Easy to remember because is unforgettable.

There isn’t a complete logic explanation. It’s a feeling. There’s always a moment when I feel the balance in the creation and that's when I stop.

Up to know, I’ve created more than 100 designs, each one involving a specific process. Some are very simple to design. In fact, there are creations that were completely defined in the first sketch, while others, took me months or even years to finish as I couldn’t find the balance in them.

Adding to this, the creative/production process usually doesn’t match the simplicity of the design. For instance, my Arizona mirror was perfectly defined in the first sketch I made and took me probably less than one hour to have it designed in the computer. However, there was a complexity attached to the production of this apparently simple design that required many days and a teamwork in order to find a simple solution also for the production.

Having this in mind, I’m not able to choose one biggest design as all of them have a special meaning and a particular story behind their birth.

I’ve been following the work of incredible talented people in design, architecture but also fashion. To name a few, Ralph Lauren, Marcel Wanders and Nini Andrade Silva inspire me for their individual approach to the art they produce.

My personal lifestyle is intimately connected to the work I present to the public. Having creations inspired in nature is a direct result of a childhood connected to the land and this is something that has been present throughout my entire life. I spend many hours hiking and being in the presence of nature, which significantly translates into my designs.

On the other hand, my professional path in Architecture as well as, having been both a dancer and a pianist directly influenced the way I see and create design.

There are no boundaries between my work and myself.

InsidherLand is a brand that presents the public with exclusive author design and our vision is to awaken the desire for pieces of art with function.

As the founder and creative mind of the brand, my entire team, both in the studio and in the factories where we produce the pieces, is aligned with this business philosophy.

We are a team that works with seriousness and honesty to deliver exclusive design with high quality to our customers. We directly support local and traditional production, focusing on sustainability in production resources such as the use of natural and local materials.

We are proud to have a premium customer support service and to create bonds of trust and help between employees as well as business partners.

Winning a Gold A’ Design Award has been a great personal achievement and also felt by my team involved in the production of the Niemeyer II armchair. I truly admire the global impact of this award and believe that it is very relevant also for customers that follow my work. I’m so thankful for this recognition Gold A’ Design Award!

The Silhouette dining chair shows contours of a mysterious profile and presents the observer with feminine sensuality. The design uncovers parts of a woman’s body who sits on it and we immediately observe the natural movement of a woman’s hips in the back legs of this elegant chair.

Inspired by the work of some 20th century artists like Paul Klee that brilliantly represented several realities simultaneously on a single point of view, my intention was to create a beautiful chair that would recreate these joint dimensions of a woman and a chair in one single object.

Commercially, the Silhouette dining chair features as one of my best-sellers but I really wish to spread both the design and its beautiful inspiration all over the World. That’s why I present the inspiration also in a video that can be seen in this chair page on my website: https://www.insidherland.com/portfolio-items/silhouette-dining-chair/

I started to design this chair many years ago, but something wasn’t right. The design just wasn’t balanced… So I hang the drawing on the wall and there it stayed for more than one year. I would just pass by a look at it with so much certainty that one day I would get the answers to finish it. When that day arrived, I finished the design and was so happy about it. The entire creative process and production of the prototype took me more than two years. Great designs require patience.

I always work with conceptual narratives in my designs so there’s always a strong influence for each of them. For Silhouette, I had an image in my mind of a woman sitting on a chair. I pursued this idea until it became reality.

The Silhouette dining chair is already one of the best-sellers among my designs and is produced by my team, located in the city of Porto in the north of Portugal. We sell this chair all over the World.

I'm obsessed with transforming concepts and narratives into real pieces through design. The creative process is beautiful and so exciting! I believe that customers around the World really feel the authenticity of the inspiration which allows them to create an emotional connection with a creation that is so more than an object.

I was influenced by some paintings, not design. For instance, the Pianist drawing of Paul Klee in which this painted represents both the man and his Piano as parts of his own body. I became obsessed with the possibilities of this joint dimension that this drawing inspired both the Silhouette dining chair and the Pianist coffee table, both belonging to my Identity Collection.

Customers around the world that look for exquisite luxury pieces with an effortless sophisticated vibe.

For all reasons I mentioned above, I believe that the concept of Silhouette is unique and surely sets the design apart.

The design of this dining chair shows a line that represents a beautiful Silhouette of a woman’s curves.

I draw my designs mostly on paper and computer and the prototype evolution occurred at the factory with real scale models.

Silhouette is a chair that truly transforms a conceptual approach into an elegant creation.

Silhouette is produced by my team of talented Portuguese artisans. They are the ones who make my goals come true by applying traditional techniques and so much knowledge into the production process.

Silhouette was completely developed by local artisans, using the knowledge of traditional techniques both in woodwork as in upholstery.

As mentioned, I had to stop the creative process of this chair for more than a year. The design just wasn’t balanced… Furthermore, there were some challenges regarding the correct angles of the structure in order to receive the seat. The translucent brown shade was also developed in the factory and some experiences were made before choosing the final shade.

My Niemeyer II armchair won the Gold A’Design Award in last year’s edition and I got a free nomination ticket for this year’s edition. I decided to submit Silhouette and I was pleasantly surprised to receive an new Award!

Well, what I’m reminded each time I create a new design; that perseverance is such an important quality!

The rounded forms of the Niemeyer II armchair are influenced by the House of Canoas designed by the Brazilian Architect Oscar Niemeyer in 1951.

The modern flat roof offers its flowing forms to the round seat. The backward movement of the curve that frames a large granite boulder is recreated by the location of the diagonal seams that flow all around the arms and seat of the armchair. Seen from above, it really recreates the exact movement into the seat.

Being influenced by the assumptions of modernist architecture such as freedom of forms and volumetric organicity, the goal was to create a free design. The design itself was easily created, however, the production required many adjustments to be made until the complete rounded image could be achieved.

The Niemeyer II armchair already is one of the best-sellers among my designs. I believe that, being an award-winning design, this beautiful armchair will be placed in so many more interiors around the world.

The Niemeyer II armchair was born out of the design of my original armchair named Niemeyer. Both armchairs have the same design principles. The first took about a year to be fully developed and this version was less than that, as my team learned a lot from the first experience.

I had a clear image in my mind that easily was transformed into a design.

The Niemeyer II armchair is one of the best-sellers among my designs and is produced by my team, located in the city of Porto in the north of Portugal. We sell this armchair all over the World.

Being obsessed by a particular idea is what makes me create all of my designs. In this case, it was a particular movement of a modernist rooftop.

I’m not much influence about design. I’m more interested in other sources such as art, architecture, music and mother nature.

Customers around the world that look for exquisite luxury pieces with an effortless sophisticated vibe.

I draw my designs mostly on paper and computer. However, no 3D tools were used to develop this armchair. The prototype evolution occurred at the factory with real scale models.

The Niemeyer II is a luxurious armchair that catches the eye of the public, being both a minimal design, yet a statement piece.

The Niemeyer II armchair is produced by my team of talented Portuguese artisans. They are the ones who make my goals come true by applying traditional techniques and so much knowledge into the production process.

No so much. The Niemeyer II armchair was completely developed by local artisans, using the knowledge of traditional techniques both in woodwork as in upholstery.

Challenges are part of the design process and a completely round armchair as Niemeyer II is no exception.

Inside, the wooden structure presents the necessary complexity for its clean exterior appearance. The construction process included several adjustments, both in the wooden structure and in the exact collation of the seams, to reach the final design, in which we find a total simplicity.

Another anticipated challenge was related to the stability of the chair. By reducing the contact of the base with the floor we were able to offer an enormous freedom to the design. However, several improvements have been defined for its stability.

This armchair is also available with a swivel option.

The Niemeyer II armchair is an iconic creation among my designs and features as one of the best-sellers. Winning an international design competition creates the right awareness around the design.

Well, what I’m reminded each time I create a new design; that perseverance is such an important quality!

I have a degree in Architecture and began my career by collaborating with Architecture studios. During the first years, I worked in developing both urban, residential and commercial projects but also, special commissions of bespoke furniture. In fact, I loved drawing furniture long before I went to the Faculty of Architecture.

Since very early, I’ve designed pieces of furniture and trees, tons of trees…

After some years working exclusively as an Architect, the desire to transform some personal ideas into design pieces was growing and, when I realized, I had a portfolio. To create a personal brand, I needed to find partners and study manufacturing processes to achieve the goal of creating my team. This process took me almost three years and in 2012 I launched InsidherLand, my own brand of author design.

I design pieces of art with functionality for the home interiors. I’m feeling more and more interested in developing art editions and small decorative items too.

No matter what, each individual is unique and should firstly look inside to find their own creativity and strategy, rather than falling into comparison with who and what is already being successful in the market.

A good design obviously responds to form and function. However, a great design is like a great music that effortlessly remains in our thoughts. So, a great designer is someone that has created really great “songs” throughout time. Easy to remember because is unforgettable.

Good design makes life easier. What’s around us; places, people, objects, sounds and smells affect our brains on a daily basis so we might as well be surrounded by what influences us in a positive way. Design is everywhere around us, so, we should invest in quality over quantity.

I would love to design a perfume bottle for effortlessly chic women.

I believe in what I see with my mind, I work hard and I'm really perseverant.

It’s not easy to choose but, a few years ago, I came across the 'Endless Ribbon’ console by Mattia Bonetti and it still remains as one of my all-time favorite designs.

The Looshaus wall lamp is my masterpiece. It is a minimal piece, completely based on the modernist principles we find in the Looshaus building by the Architect Adolf Loos. This wall lamp is made out of a single block of Carrara marble and the “negative” of the piece itself is what creates a gallery with crossed light. It is perfectly proportioned and the interior, in which all electrical features are hidden, is as wonderfully produced as the design itself.

Practice and learn from mistakes.

I would have remained working as an Architect.

In a broad sense, design goes further that the objective problem-solving. We operate with design, making it part of our human experience as we are full time surrounded by it. We find design in the cover of a book, when navigating through a website, when putting our fingers in a keyboard, when siting on a chair and so on... Design is used for communicating and interacting. If good design is an idea that fully works towards a goal, it also acts subconsciously in our perceptions and interactions with others.

When mastering design, one can create objects, images or signs that are innovative and overcome problems but mostly, elevate human experiences to a higher level.

My family has always been mt great support. Specially my father, who left his profession to work full time in my company and stay by my side.

I’m working on that!

The beginning of my career was focused in being an Architect and design came later. Creating a company from scratch, developing a team to produce exceptional design pieces and sell them all over the world has been accomplished with so many challenges that is not possible to highlight a few.

Having a clear vision of what I want to accomplish has made me walk through all the obstacles.

In the future, I’m willing to develop other type of works in design that will be strategically created to complement my journey in design.

For me, creativity, design and high quality are the foundations towards creating exceptional creations. On the other hand, the background of my creations are universal themes that connect to people’s feelings. My goal is to create meaningful Art pieces with function that touch people’s hearts.

At this moment I’m almost releasing four bar stools in my collections, which is something I had never designed before.

It can take 6 months or 6 years. I only release a new design when I feel it is completely balanced.

Concept, always the concept!

Work hard and always have fun, otherwise, ideas just don't flow.

Great designs set trends and trends set all other designs.

My creative process is anchored in the raw materials, as well as in the ancient knowledge and techniques used in my country. Technology is part of the process. However, I enjoy using traditional techniques and apply them to new contemporary ideas.

Mostly 2D, mockups and full-scale models.

Oh, I feel a good jealousy and think… I wish I was the one having that idea… and then, I just get really glad that someone had it so we can all see it! New good ideas are fuel for the future.

I’ve been a loner in design as I design all of my creations by myself. My team at the studio isn’t involved in the design process. My creations come from my own experiences and are very personal so, this working scheme really works for me. However, I also believe in co-design. There are some really amazing products that were born out of successful partnerships.

Architecture books, mainly.

Ideally, I would love to have a conservation with the composer Frederic Chopin. I would have many questions to ask to Michael Jackson, the greatest entertainer of all time, who has been a major influence in my life as well as in my design process. Last but not least, I would definitely be grateful if I could meet the Portuguese Painter Manuel Cargaleiro. He opened my eyes to a new reality when I was just 11 and has changed me forever.

I’m not famous at all. Awards contribute for the recognition of my work and are important flames for all or my team members. They also feel very proud because they know I’m nobody without their daily support.

color: Gold

place: Alentejo in the south of Portugal

food: Feijoada à Transmontana (Portuguese food)

season: Summer

brand: InsidherLand

Being alive, doing what I love, having a great team and customers that are always happy with the creations they purchase is all motivation I need.

I never had a doubt that I would go through a path connected to art. Having taken my degree in Architecture and worked in my early career in architectural projects, Design is a reality in which I’ve been part in the recent years, although I’ve been designing furniture for so long but that would just remain on paper.

My work is an extension of who I am. If, on the one hand, I received strong artistic influences, on the other, I lived my childhood in a house in front of an agricultural field where I observed nature’s wonders. My designs mirror my incluences.

After some years working exclusively as an Architect, the desire to transform some personal ideas into design pieces was growing and when I realized, I had a portfolio. To create a personal brand, I needed to find partners and study manufacturing processes to achieve the goal of creating my team. This process took me almost three years and in 2012 I launched InsidherLand, my brand of author design.

Initially, I started by developing the Beyond Memory collection that is based on elements of nature, organic forms, legends and traditions of indigenous cultures. In this collection, connected with the “Land” and that follows the name of the Brand, I developed a range of pieces in storage, upholstery, lighting and mirrors.

In 2016, I presented my second collection named Identity, in which I explore urban themes that come from my contact with Architecture, art and music. In this collection, I explore a more purist design that contrasts with the richness of materials such as marbles, woods and metals. Identity quickly gained a prominent place among InsidherLand buyers.

In a broad sense, design goes further that the objective problem-solving. We operate with design, making it part of our human experience as we are full time surrounded by it. We find design in the cover of a book, when navigating through a website, when putting our fingers in a keyboard, when siting on a chair and so on... Design is used for communicating and interacting. If good design is an idea that fully works towards a goal, it also acts subconsciously in our perceptions and interactions with others.

When mastering design, one can create objects, images or signs that are innovative and overcome problems but mostly, elevate human experiences to a higher level.

The Looshaus wall lamp is my masterpiece. It is a minimal piece, completely based on the modernist principles we find in the Looshaus building by the Architect Adolf Loos. This wall lamp is made out of a single block of Carrara marble and the “negative” of the piece itself is what creates a gallery with crossed light. It is perfectly proportioned and the interior, in which all electrical features are hidden, is as wonderfully produced as the design itself.

The Homeland sideboard. I designed this sideboard for my own apartment in 2099, and it was also the starting point of my own brand, InsidherLand. Previously, I worked in Architecture studios.

Most likely when I'm on vacation and out of my daily routine.

I always work with four pillars: concept, form, function and emotion.

Excitement and wonderment! Design is an exhausting but fun process.

I feel really enthusiastic during the process but usually get dethatch as soon as I release a new design. I believe this is due to the fact that this new creation is a living piece in my mind for so long that, when it is finally released to the public, it is not completely mine anymore. It’s quite a strange process that, until today, I couldn’t figure it all out.

Personally, I believe that is the public acceptance.

Designers “play” with people’s emotions, just as an actor does. We bring reactions up to the surface. Saying this, we also have the responsibility to create a serious work that is made upon the correct values and assumptions. Design is everywhere and we interact with it in an almost subconscious way so, designers have the power to influence society in a positive way.

My most recent exhibition was last March 2022 at Maison&Objet in Paris and the next one will be the Portugal Home Week, next June in Porto.

The creative process is intuitive and results from my memories and places I treasure. The birth of a new piece may result from a new image that crosses my eyes or an old memory that’s revisited after a long time. When a new idea shows up, it automatically materializes in the mind with its form and function without a rational intervention on my behalf.

For instance, the Arizona mirror is a reference to ‘The Wave’, a rock formation in the Unites States that I have on my bucket list. I know that landscape for so many years but a special photo I saw, suddenly "awakened" a personal interpretation of that place.

I don’t look so much for a style. I prefer to develop my own DNA among my personal collections. I create effortlessly chic designs.

Overall, I look at the creative process in design in much the same way as architecture, in the sense that there is form, function (the program in Architecture), concept (the basic idea that I intend to convey with materials) and emotion (the feeling that I intend to awaken in the viewer).

I live in Porto, a city in the north of Portugal, where we have centuries of tradition working with woods, metals and marbles. In recent years, we have seen an evolution of the design made in Portugal, with an exploration of ancestral techniques existing in my country, but mostly in the valorization of design, not only as a tool for creating products but as a central point of brands communication. As consequence, the acceptance of this new mentality by international markets has been extremely positive for the proliferation of the Portuguese culture.

The Portuguese heritage has been incredibly important for me as my work is deeply anchored to the use of noble materials we find in Portugal and to the respect for the craft techniques practiced in the specialties with which I work daily such as wood, metal, marble, upholstery and lighting. It is very special to work directly with artisans and to coordinate the work between the team in order to achieve a final result of perfection with high quality finishes.

InsidherLand, my brand, presents two collections that are designed to complement each other. Beyond Memory, the first collection, reflects how I’m deeply influenced by the wonders of the natural world. Launched in 2016, the Identity collection show fragments of another side of my journey, in which I work a more urban side, connected to my training in Architecture and the contact I’ve always had with art, dance and music.

In both collections, each piece has a strong background that influences the entire design process which allows the public to fully understand my creative intentions.

As examples, the Utopia dining table and Arches dining chair are related to the complexity of some Utopian cities I’ve studied a long time ago. The Seagram lamps show a modernist constructive choice I found in the Seagram building when I first visited in New York many years ago. The Arizona mirror is a reference to ‘The Wave’, a rock formation in the Unites States that I have on my bucket list.

. A new sofa I’m about to release and that was firstly designed for my living room

. My Niemeyer II swivel armchair

. The Homeland sideboard, the first piece I designed for InsidherLand

. My dining table that I found in an antique dealer

. An old table from the 19th century with an incredible marble that I inherited from my grandparents and reconverted into a furniture piece to stand my tv.

No matter what, each individual is unique and should firstly look inside to find their own creativity and strategy, rather than falling into comparison with who and what is already being successful in the market. Just focus on what you can control.

Design for others, but with your own heart.

Design, as architecture or any other creative forms of expression, can’t be fully taught by the simple fact that they are not centered in the discovery of rules nor in results of single solutions. From my own perception, I see these disciplines has having individual “boxes of knowledge” that contain what can be taught and around them the blanc spaces where creativity flows through.

In creative disciplines like design, premises given to different creatives will certainly result in several solutions.

Crossing the understanding of the problem with the individual's sensitivity connects the “boxes” suitable for a specific solution. It’s by organizing them through a personal perspective that we are able to induce intangible emotions in people.

The sources for my work can be found anywhere, specially outside the office. Nature, art, architecture, music, book, music. Anything can be a starting point. I mostly develop my ideias throught scketches, 2D drawings and mockups. At the factories, with my team, we develop real scale models and work directly in prototipes.

It can take 6 months or 6 years. I only release a new design when I feel it is completely balanced.

How I started my company and how do I turned my sources of inspiration into a successful business.

Interiors designers that develop luxury projects that some of the best hotels around the world.

The Looshaus wall lamp is my masterpiece. It is a minimal piece, completely based on the modernist principles we find in the Looshaus building by the Architect Adolf Loos. This wall lamp is made out of a single block of Carrara marble and the “negative” of the piece itself is what creates a gallery with crossed light. It is perfectly proportioned and the interior, in which all electrical features are hidden, is as wonderfully produced as the design itself.

In the future, I’m willing to develop other type of works in design that will be strategically created to complement my journey in design. At the moment it is still to be revealed.

I design my own creations.

At this moment I’m almost releasing four bar stools in my collections, which is something I had never designed before.

www.insidherland.com