Lluís Porqueras

Born in 1930, Lluís Porqueras is considered one of the most important creators in Catalan design. After taking courses in architecture he went on to self-learn industrial design and began his professional career working on restoring houses and country homes in Empordà.

In 1965, together with his friend and designer Paco Blanco, he founded the Stoa studio, a pioneer firm in Catalan design and where they produced their own articles and those of other designers like Enric Franch.

In 1979, by now clearly focused on lighting, he founded the company Vapor, together with Jaume Vaquero, a name composed of the surnames of the two founders, Jaume Vaquero and Lluís Porqueras, and which symbolised the industrial area of Barcelona (Poble Nou) where they worked. With their trademark austerity, they experimented with materials, seeking simplicity in the objects they developed. Their work was driven by a thirst to try new things, learn and create new objects. Working with limited economic resources, Lluís Porqueras developed an ethical design methodology that enabled industrial processes to be better understood, thereby allowing him to achieve the best possible results for his clients. Never a follower of fashion, his goal was always to strip back ornamentation and details to produce simple pieces with a focus on usability.

Among his clients were renowned lighting and interior design firms like Mobles 114, Targetti or Urbidermis, for whom he designed iconic objects that are still being edited and produced today. Notable among his many works are the Claris ceiling lamp and the Funiculí floor lamp. His work is sold in leading design retail spaces such as the MOMA store.

Together with Joan Gaspar, Lluís Porqueras is the co-creator of the Finisterre bollard (1992), which functions as a lighting element and bollard to delineate and protect spaces.