Leva 40, Table by Alva Design

ALVA is a furniture and objects design office, formed by brothers Susana Bastos, artist and designer, and Marcelo Alvarenga, architect. Their projects are the result of the meeting of these two visions, the architectural and the artistic, and beyond the usual rationality and functionality, they seek the unusual, new uses and an expressive materiality.

The duo’s creation process starts from a sensitive observation of people’s daily lives, their habits and current needs, together with a perception of new potentialities to be artistically explored. In the development of each piece, the technical and aesthetic baggage of the brothers, acquired through important experiences in the architecture and fashion market, is added to a strong relationship with their Minas Gerais and Brazilian origins. In the execution phase, the selection of raw materials and the exquisite manufacturing, often handcrafted, give a unique aspect to the works. The result is contemporary pieces loaded with memory.

Alva’s first line of furniture and objects was launched in 2013 at the MADE (Mercado, Arte, Design) fair in São Paulo. Following this launch, the firm partnered with Etel – a brand now known worldwide for publishing the best of Brazilian design – to produce and market some of its creations, bringing the brothers’ names into the special group of authorial designers represented by it.

Since their first release, Susana and Marcelo’s creations have gained visibility in several important publications, websites and magazines, both national and international.