- Interior
Spontaneity and slight chaos are often not that far apart. Marta Jurado Chagnaud and Louis Chagnaud, life partners and professional success duo, founded Bisa Studio last year. The Indonesian word in the name is a conscious choice since they lived there for several years before moving to Madrid for this recent step in their career. The goal? Swimming against the artisanal current and seeking all liberating corners of craftsmanship.
‘A sea of possibilities lying before you.’ It is a free translation of bisa, an Indonesian notion that is meant to express the eternity of the future and what you can do with it. The name Chagnaud may ring a bell for some attentive readers because it was the same duo who raised Heaps & Woods from the ground. Their activities within Bisa Studio clearly differ from what they have been doing up until now. Here, they delve into the vastness of all sorts of material and techniques, as well as the relationship between art and design. Tradition and convention have only little influence here; they go out and discover along the way which results emerge when imagination and freedom are given a margin. 
Furthermore, they want to counter the mass production of furniture, again and again. The complex hand techniques are also a reason why they produce at a slower pace. That is a positive matter, we think, seeing that you cannot hurry something qualitative and unique. Different matters come up; some are almost opposites, such as blown glass and rattan. This is a remarkable difference with their activities within Heaps & Woods, where they follow traditional craftsmanship as closely as possible and maintain partnerships with Indonesian ateliers.
For Marta Jurado Chagnaud, the move to Spain almost literally felt like coming home, seeing that she is originally from Barcelona. In 2014, she graduated in interior architecture in Paris, where she left after some work experiences and headed for Bali. This trip was meant to give her a spiritual footing, but eventually a lot more came her way. She met Louis Chagnaud, who was set on gaining local knowhow and becoming a carpenter. The two of them had a common appreciation for craftsmanship, and from here on a shared adventure originated, both professional and private. With the story of Heaps & Woods up and running for a few years, they knew that the time had come to expand their ambitions and put their shoulders under Bisa Studio as well. In both cases, she is the creative one.
“Een zee aan mogelijkheden die voor je ligt”
Next to this, the couple’s curiosity is a central driving force behind this newest chapter. A thirst for the extraordinary and a synergy of visions, cultures and evolutions are the guideline with which they enthusiastically pave their way. This time, they work with artisans from different parts of the world. People and their trusted techniques and materials find a platform here where they can unite and create without any imposed limitations. Earlier this year, the very first exhibition of their work took place in Atelier Lardeur in Paris.
Want to read more about this impressive talent? You can read about it in the Summer 2024 edition of Imagicasa Magazine.
Images courtesy of Bisa Studio
Text by Cara Jacobs