Working Lives
Spanish design guru Jesús Gasca, owner of the Oyster 46 Sine Die
By Barry Pickthall
Meet the Terence Conran of Spain. Gasca’s STUA brand was born. Now the
Like the Habitat founder, Jesús Gasca company has prestigious showrooms in
is revered as one of the world’s most San Sebastian and Madrid and the
innovative designers, having won STUA’s distinctive furniture is displayed
countless awards in America, Europe in the best design shops across North
and Scandinavia for his simple and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa
timeless tables and chairs, including and Australasia. You can even find them
recently Spain’s most prestigious in Conran.
National Design Award.
“I just started slowly, one step at a time,
A firm believer in minimalism, Gasca’s product by product to build up the
beautifully engineered furniture has STUA collection. A good design requires
been selected to adorn both a lot of time and reflection and usually
handsome homes, corporate edifices, takes two years from conception to
and perhaps the greatest accolade, showroom.” Says Jesús who does not
by some of the best known art generally take commissions. “I design
galleries and museums in the World. what I feel like, and usually there are
enough people in the world that like the
Born in San Sebastián, Spain, the finished products.”
70 year-old design guru has always
had a passion both for technical Like his Oyster 46 Sine Die
engineering and sailing. “The sea is (meaning timeless) in which Jesús
part of my city, San Sebastian itself, had considerable input on the interior,
so it is very much in my blood.” each piece within the STUA collection
Says the Oyster 46 owner. Gasca is exquisitely executed out of the finest
came to designing furniture relatively materials. “Our mission is to improve
late in life. His ‘big break’ came quite the habitat in which we live, by refining
literally in 1982 when his electrical our designs, and using recyclable
engineering company became a components and environmentally
casualty of the last great recession, friendly manufacturing processes."
sparked by the oil crisis at the end He says. Others have characterized
of the ‘70s. Gasca’s design as Scandinavian with
a Mediterranean touch. To me, they
That knock gave Jesús the opportunity are simply practical pieces of art.
to look at his life and start afresh. That’s certainly why the Milwaukee
The turning point from mid-life crisis art Museum and the iconic 7-star
to creative genius came with the Burj Dubai Tower Hotel, which will be
design of Deneb glass topped table the world’s tallest building, have
which took a year to design and put specified STUA tables and chairs. Other
into production. It was immediately well known names to import the Gasca
hailed as an icon of modern design look are Microsoft, Coca Cola, Nokia
and to underline its timeless nature, and the German train operator Deutsche
remains very much in demand Bahn which ordered 4000 classic
26 years later. Egoa chairs for their headquarters. >
64 www.oystermarine.com
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