Jordi Rovira is the soul of a family community of carpenters and restorers who have created their own furniture brand: Mobles Miülas. They understand the craft of woodwork as an artistic creation process, which ends up at unique furniture pieces. They use traditional techniques to make new handmade bespoke custom furniture. Also, they restore all types of furniture, by transforming and giving them a second life.
How Miülas furniture brand was born, and how many professionals work there?
Since I finished high school, I have worked more than ten years as a carpenter. I loved this craft, so I left everything behind to devote myself to it. Once I had learned the technique conveniently, I decided to run my own carpenter’s workshop. At the beginning I worked mainly for the building business but soon I realized that what I really liked was making a very special kind of furniture to show my artistic skills. Thus, I simply moved forward with this project. In total, we are four professionals at Miülas Mobles and we are all family.
How tasks are distributed?
I am in charge of woodworking, from designing to manufacturing. My father helps me, and my partner is runs administration and marketing. Her mother takes care of restoration works.
In general, do you do spend more time making new furniture or restoring old pieces?
We do anything anytime. Because we make made-to-measure furniture, our pieces are made according to the customers’ orders. When we make our own furniture just to keep a stock, we like trying new things by mixing new and old woods. In addition, we often restore furniture usually found in the street and given to us by people who just don’t know what to do with it.
How do you have sustainability in mind when making a new piece of furniture?
Making made-to-measure furniture using traditional techniques is much more sustainable itself than big furniture companies’ production system. In addition, we always try to recycle wood and furniture rejected or abandoned by people. Also, sometimes people give us pieces of furniture because they simply do not know what to do with them.
What different woods do you use to make new furniture? Are some woods more sustainable than others?
Usually, we use local pine, a specific kind of pine which is intended to become wood. Therefore, no woodland has been deforested to get the wood we use for our sustainable furniture.
All pieces of furniture can be restored?
Yes, and it does not have to be difficult. Let me encourage from these lines the readers to dare to change the look of that furniture they have at home, which they do not like any more. Sometimes, a piece of furniture needs no more than a few paint layers and handles changing to get a completely different look. If anyone has any doubt about that, they can ask us, we will help them in what we can. On the other hand, restoring antiques is much more difficult. That is why that sort of furniture has to be restored by professionals.
What restoration techniques do you use?
We use all kind of different techniques. Our restorer has a Degree in Furniture Restoration and more than fifteen years’ experience.
From your professional point of view, what gives more satisfaction to you: making a new piece of furniture or restoring an old one?
New or old, each piece of furniture has its peculiarities. It is very satisfying to see an old piece of furniture that was about to be rejected by their owners completely change after working in it for a few hours. It is also very satisfying to see an idea of furniture that you have in mind gradually become a real object.
In your opinion, what are the basic features of a good new or refurbished piece of furniture?
Quality furniture has to be made of solid wood by using manual crafts and traditional techniques. Also, all the materials have to be used efficiently.
What is Miülas customers’ profile?
Most of them are young couples, who are interested in decoration and want to give a special look to their place. Very often they contact us because they are tired of realizing that furniture seems to be all the same in every home. They want to make their home a different personal place. These people like to be part of the designing process and they are interested in having their own made-to-measure furniture.
We live in the era of fast precast single use products. Do you ever feel like going against?
Many times, certainly. But I think that younger people are now more conscious about the fact that buying handmade, recycled and sustainable products is worthy. They are demanding customers, who want to feel special and different. Prefabricated products do not satisfy their needs.