Portuguese chair: the weight of tradition
The Portuguese chair is present in everyone’s imagination as the metallic chair on our country’s terraces. Presenting a fantastic performance with perfect measurements, it is still to this day, considered the absolute terrace Queen, a part of our national identity.
Created by Gonçalo Rodrigues dos Santos and Master Serafim, in the mid-1950s, the Portuguese chair became a masterpiece also known as the Portuguese Chair.
It has inspired a whole generation of young architects and designers. It has built a legendary reputation supported by its robustness, weather-friendly stacking properties and daily professional use. It has become a national design icon and today has an entire family of brand new parts ready to continue its legacy.
Improved quality and strength, makes Bicachair a timeless collectible model
Bica
The name Bica reminds us of the way to drink coffee on a time when tea prevailed. Coffee, being a sour drink, did not please everyone. The story goes that “BICA” was not another name for coffee, but an acronym for the information that was given out to the customer: “Beba Isto Com Açúcar” (Portuguese for “Drink This With Sugar”).
Released again in 2020, the BICAchair paves the way for this iconic design to be part of our lives, in a more intimate and intense way, without ever forgetting the original model made by Gonçalo Rodrigues dos Santos. With the highest quality materials and a powerful finish, it is more beautiful, more elegant and perfectly adapted to the surrounding life. The impressive attention given to the details and the chosen materials turn the modern Portuguese chair into a breathtaking model.
The role of a chair in the professional industry
BICAchair has been a versatile option, used on terraces across the country, but also in luxury hotels and professional spaces such as the headquarters of UBER, MICROSOFT, WPP, among others. It has also guaranteed its presence at the Lisbon Design Museum (MUDE), as a symbol of Portuguese Culture.
Being a product closely linked to the professional industry, its sale was very limited. It is now born again with improved quality and resistance, becoming a timeless and even a collectible model, capable of accumulating stories and experiences from generation to generation.
In an attempt to reinvent the perfect chair, BICAchair’s new version has modern technological developments and advanced finishing techniques. Tradition is being kept by following an artisans’ production process and advances are being made in interior design segment.
BICAchair will offer a service that makes its products accessible to the public through online platforms, providing our customers with solutions designed for different styles. We have an excellent support and we provide a proper follow-up, which goes all the from the pre-sale and production phases to the lifetime guarantee that we offer in the structures of our parts.
Master Serafim, The last Guardian of a chair that is part of our national identity
Mestre Serafim, Portuguese art’s living memory
Master Serafim started his craft as an apprentice artisan under the legendary Gonçalo Rodrigues dos Santos, creator of what would later be known as the “Portuguese chair”.
At age thirteen, Serafim started the craftmanship that would become his life. Of all the creations he made, alongside his mentor, the award-winning chair in the late 60’s stands out. At this time, Serafim was Gonçalo Rodrigues dos Santos’ right-handed man and keeper of secrets. Mestre Serafim, altough existed in anonymity, became part of this icon’s history. Alexandre Caldas brings new life to the chair that is still part of our national identity and with it, Master Serafim’s amazing story.
Today, aged 83, Mestre Serafim is part of the history of this iconic Portuguese furniture design, a proud witness of its rebirth and an inpiration to the new generation.
A rebranding of excellence
More than just a brand
The BICAchair has been a versatile option, used on terraces across the country, from luxury hotels, professional spaces and private environments. It has also guaranteed its presence at the Lisbon Design Museum (MUDE), as a symbol of Portuguese Culture. BICAchair’s Rebranding aspires to be more than just a brand, but a benchmark in Excellency.
We want to continue its legacy reinventing the chair for the interior, bringing into our homes the well-being and social gathering spirit which is such a specific feature on Portuguese terraces. Mainly because it was a product closely linked to the professional industry, its sale was very limited to the public. BICAchair will offer a service that makes our pieces available to the public through online platforms, providing our customers with solutions designed for different styles. With an excellent service that includes customer support and monitoring all pre-sale stages, BICAchair is with you throughout the whole process, from its production to the lifetime guarantee that we offer on the our parts and structures.
Basically, BICAchair strives to elevate this piece of Portuguese design to an international level and to make it available and collectable to anyone, without ever neglecting our social and environmental responsibility.