We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Estúdio Galho / Movew about their original and creative Buffet design work. Estúdio Galho / Movew is an award-winning industrial designer, that makes our world a better place with their original buffet works.
Estúdio Galho / Movew ("EG/M") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Genipabu Buffet. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
EG/M : The Genipabu Sideboard/Buffet is inspired by the stunning Genipabu Dunes, where the wind sculpts the sands into enchanting landscapes. A landmark in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, the dunes offer visitors a unique experience. Their rhythmic triangular structures also serve as a small wine cellar, while the handle of the doors, with its sinuous contour, simulates the gesture of the wind shaping the sand, reinforcing the narrative of fluidity, movement and transformation. The design captures the fluidity of the wind-shaped sands, forming sinuous curves that create impressive visual textures.
EG/M : Our main focus was to create a piece that combined functionality, identity and a poetic translation of the reference. We wanted the Genipabu Sideboard/Buffet to be more than a functional piece of furniture, seeking to transform an iconic landscape into product language, creating an emotional connection with those who see and use it. To provide a sensory and symbolic experience in which the user could perceive the beauty of the Genipabu dunes translated into form, texture and function, promoting design as a means of cultural appreciation and belonging.
EG/M : We are expanding the product family, extending its aesthetic and functional advantages to other types of furniture. The idea is to explore its narrative potential in new typologies, while maintaining the identity and link with the original inspiration.
EG/M : The design and development process took around four months, between research, immersion, creation, technical validation and refinements.
EG/M : We were challenged to develop a project that translated the cultural and natural characteristics of the state of Rio Grande do Norte. With this in mind, we immersed ourselves in the territory, studying its landscapes, symbols and manifestations in order to extract emblematic elements and transform them into product language.
EG/M : The design is being produced by our partner Movew, who took part in all the stages and embraced the proposal from the start.
EG/M : It was an opportunity offered by the PCDIMOB project - Project for the Development, Competitiveness and Integration of the Furniture Industry, promoted by Abimovel, Apex Brasil and Sebrae, which took us on a cultural immersion in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. The richness of the place motivated us to transform its natural and cultural references into a meaningful piece with function, narrative and identity.
EG/M : There was no direct influence from other designers, but we had the active collaboration of the Movew team, who were present at every stage, bringing valuable technical contributions to the feasibility and quality of the final product.
EG/M : The piece is being produced by Movew - Móveis Planejados, with an audience in mind that values authorial design, Brazilian aesthetics and functionality with identity.
EG/M : The difference lies in the way we translated the natural context of the dunes into a functional element of the furniture. The upper wine cellar, inspired by the ripples caused by the wind in the sand, is both a poetic and strategic detail that sets the piece apart both visually and symbolically.
EG/M : The name pays homage to the Genipabu Dunes, one of the main postcards of Rio Grande do Norte. The ecological park in the municipality of Extremoz, about 20 km from the capital Natal, covers an area of 1,172 hectares and includes a beach, a dune complex, a lagoon and an environmental protection area. The piece bears this name as a way of paying homage to one of the state's most symbolic places.
EG/M : We used a combination of analog and digital tools: pencil and paper at the conceptual outset, 3D software such as Rhinoceros, rendering in KeyShot and graphic tools for building semantic panels and analyzing references.
EG/M : The wine cellar, located at the top of the piece of furniture, visually highlights the ripples of sand shaped by the wind. It's a detail that connects the object to its territory of origin, reinforcing the narrative and functionality of the piece.
EG/M : Yes, we worked in partnership with Movew, which provided technical expertise, engineering and on-site support. This collaboration was essential for the concept to become viable and faithful to our initial proposal.
EG/M : Technology was key to transforming the complexity of the dune-inspired shapes into viable surfaces for scale production. Parametric modeling and digital testing helped ensure precision, fit and process optimization.
EG/M : Yes. We conducted exploratory and immersive research in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, analyzing geographical, cultural and sensory aspects. Based on this, we built visual panels, mapped local symbols and observed behaviors to create an object that dialogued with this context.
EG/M : The main challenge was to transform natural references into function, semantics and experience, translating the beauty of the dunes and the wind into a useful form, without losing the emotional appeal. Another point was to adapt this symbolic language to the technical feasibility of serial production.
EG/M : Together with Movew, we internally assessed the potential of the furniture and realized that it combined a strong identity, a well-founded concept, industrial viability and aesthetic differentiation. It was a way of taking part of the Northeast to the world.
EG/M : We learned that the soul of the product is in the way it is built from the idea up; when it is born with truth, coherence and purpose, the result connects with people. This project also reinforced our belief that emotion and territory are powerful guides in the creative process.
EG/M : We would just like to thank you for the opportunity to share this project, which for us represents more than an object, it is a gesture of recognition and appreciation of Brazilian culture. It's very important to see spaces like this that encourage authorial design and creative diversity around the world.
