Gustavo Dias (b. 1978) is a distinguished furniture designer and business owner renowned for his innovative and bespoke furniture pieces. At the helm of  Studio Gustavo Dias, he specialises in exclusive, handcrafted designs that blend traditional craftsmanship with contemporary aesthetics. With a background in marketing from Faculdade Mackenzie and profound hands-on skills developed from an early age,  Gustavo has chosen to focus on authorial design, making each piece a unique expression of art and functionality. His commitment to personalisation and quality makes his work highly sought after in both residential and commercial spaces. Gustavo’s approach is deeply influenced by his love of nature and experiences with sustainable practices, which continue to inspire his creative processes. 

1. Where were you born and where are you from ?

I was born in Piracicaba, Brazil.

2. What is your first memory connected to the art world ?

My father had a woodshop when I was a kid, and I remember watching him work with wood, creating furniture for our house. He also made a wooden arrow and a skateboard for me. 

3. Have you always worked in the art/design field ?

During my sophomore year in the United States, I took sculpture classes and began to get involved with art. A couple of years later, I graduated in marketing but immediately started my own furniture studio, and I’ve never stopped since.

4. What led you to the design creation ?

I’ve always wanted to work creatively, and I chose furniture design as a way to combine functionality and art into one piece. Wood has also been a major inspiration for me. Growing up on my uncle’s farm, I learned a lot from the locals. I used to spend hours in the forest, searching for fallen trees and trying to identify different types of wood.

5. How would you describe your creative process and it influences ?

It’s hard to believe, but I don’t know how to draw. For me, drawing is just a way to quickly save an idea so I don’t forget it later. I usually create inside my mind—it’s like an internal photograph of the idea. Then, I go to the studio and start making miniatures, adjusting as needed until I create the first full-scale prototype. 

6. Could you describe a typical day of your work ?

I wake up very early and head to the studio, where I meet with my assistants to plan the week ahead: what pieces will be produced and what needs to be prepared. Some days are focused on heavy-duty production, where I’m involved in all the main steps of making the pieces. Other days are spent doing office work, meeting clients, and handling marketing tasks.

7. Why did you choose the specific materials you work with ?

I like to mix materials such as wood, marble, steel, and leather, but wood has always been the protagonist. I have a deep connection with nature, and wood has fascinated me from the beginning with its variety of colors, textures, and characteristics. I enjoy learning about trees, their names, the wood they yield, and how they look. My father also influenced me—he learned woodworking from his uncle and shared his preferences and knowledge about wood with me.

8. What are the technical particularities of your creations ?

I’ve been in this field for 20 years and have learned various techniques, from traditional woodworking to sculpture, along with a lot of improvisation and freehand work. Most of my creations feature organic shapes and curved edges, inviting people to touch and feel the beauty of the wood.

9. What advices could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works ?

The most important advice, in my opinion, is to work with what you have. Don’t try to imitate others. Follow your intuition, respect your ideas, and keep creating and refining your work until it becomes part of your identity.

10. If your works had to belong to a design movement, in which one would you define it ?

Authorial Design

11. What designers and artists have influenced you ?

Campana Brothers, Nakashima, Zanine, Tenreiro, Carlos Motta, Wendel Castle, Hugo França and many others.

12. What contemporary designers do you appreciate ?

Zanini de Zanine, Gustavo Bittencourt, Christian Mohamed, Valentin Loellman and many others

13. What contemporary artists (in any kind of art) have you been inspired by ?

Sebastião Salgado, Vik Muniz , Jr. , Chico Science, Os Gemeos, Oscar Niemeyer, Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Daniel Arsham, Franz Krajcberg…

14. If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be ?

Sculptural

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust.
Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde,
Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)

11. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Believe in your dreams

12. Which talent would you most like to have?

Talent to sing and play guitar

13. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Less perfectionist 

14. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Live the dream I chose

15. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

Sports professional

16. Where would you most like to live?

Close to nature

17. What is your most treasured possession?

My health

18. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Starvation

19. What is your favorite occupation?

Being a father

20. What is your most marked characteristic?

Jokester

21. What do you most value in your friends?

Camaraderie

22. Who are your favorite writers?

–

23. Who is your hero of fiction?

Mcgyver

24. Which historical figure do you most identify with?

–

25. Who are your heroes in real life?

Mother and father

26. What are your favorite names?

None

27. What is it that you most dislike?

Prejudice

28. What is your greatest regret?

To have killed a bird when I was a child

29. How would you like to die?

Sleeping

30. What is your motto?

Be kind