In 2013, after an interregnum of eight years, the Daciano da Costa Design Studio took on a new direction, with the purpose of maintaining and promoting his legacy, allowing the memory of Daciano to endure.

Believing in the importance of communicating the personality and the body of work of Daciano da Costa, we committed to continuing his feat.

The Studio outlined an ambitious plan encompassing the preservation of his legacy, institutional partnerships with cultural entities and museums, the promotion of his opus in events and exhibitions both in Portugal and internationally, as well as the production of reissues of his designs, all of which contribute to the goal of becoming a sustainable business model. 

 The brand name Daciano da Costa was trademarked in 2013, when we began our activity with a scope across different areas:

LEGACY

In his lifetime, Daciano da Costa signed a lending contract with the portuguese government for his documental archive, evidence of the public relevance of his work, and part of the cultural heritage of the country.

In the interest of continuing his own initiative, the Studio began a process of appraisal, listing and consolidating the contents of Daciano da Costa’s private collection, with the purpose of implementing an integrated management system for the information contained, created and in any way associated with his legacy. Under the recent convention established with NOVA University Lisbon, we have welcomed the collaboration of several students attending the master’s degree in Information Curatorship.

 In 2010, a set of pieces of furniture, objects and models was added, as a deposit, to the collection of MUDE – Design and Fashion Museum, in Lisbon.

 In 2015, the permanent collection of the Centre Georges Pompidou integrated some of his pieces. Similarly, the proposal for incorporation at MoMA – Museum of Modern Art, in New York, is already underway.

 In 2022 Daciano da Costa is the first portuguese designer to enter the Vitra Design Museum Collection with the the Alvor chair (1967) and Quadratura chair (1971).

STUDIO | GALLERY

Heading the Studio since 2013, Inês Cottinelli, one of Daciano da Costa’s five daughters, chose to maintain the partnerships, and follow the mission of safekeeping, curating and inventorying her father’s work, whilst communicating it to the public and promoting the designs both in Portugal and abroad.

João Paulo Martins, long-time collaborator of the Studio, a former student and friend, lecturer in the Design programs coordinated by Daciano da Costa and commissary for the exhibition celebrating Daciano’s 40 years of work, at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, in 2001, was invited to join the partnership. 

In 2019, we opened a new Studio | Gallery, an office that also functions as a showroom, and is open to the public, with a display of originals and reissues of his most iconic furniture pieces and an archive comprising a portion of his collection previously kept at the old studio. 

The Studio consists of a small but dedicated team. With regard to rendering his work to the general public, namely through reissues, we work in close cooperation with manufacturers; host exhibits of Daciano da Costa’s work and collaborate with institutions in an effort to preserve his legacy for future generations.

COMMUNICATION

 In 2019, we launched the official website Daciano da Costa and, in 2021, the online store as a reinforcement in exposure and communication, introducing to the public ranges of small objects and publications that awaken the curiosity about the author and his work.

 The Studio joined several social networks, regarded as an additional tool to promote the activities and ongoing projects, allowing for dynamic of proximity with the general public.

 We have participated in exhibits, national and international, submitting pieces of furniture and objects that are an integral part of the history of design in Portugal and which portray to the public the work of Daciano da Costa.

FROM HIS WORK TO REISSUES

We believe that reissues of the classic ones allow us to extend the History of Portuguese Design and to become a National Historic Landmark.

 Reissues of pieces originally created by Daciano da Costa for specific projects envisage the reappreciation of objects whilst incorporated in new environments, either by hand of professionals or private customers, promoting new interpretations for existing objects.

 The furniture pieces for Casa da Música (2005), designed by Rem Koolhaas, was the last project that Daciano da Costa oversaw in his lifetime and encompasses an example that such new interpretations are indeed possible. 

The fact that these pieces reappear in other contexts allows us to prolong and rewrite the History of Portuguese Design.