José A. Gandía-Blasco

Background

José Antonio Gandía-Blasco Canales was born in Ontinyent, Valencia (Spain). After studying law at the University of Valencia, he joined the family business, Gandia Blasco, then a blanket manufacturer, and travelled throughout Spain as a business agent before taking on responsibilities inside the company. Working with the designers Marisa Gallén and Sandra Figuerola, he helped reshape its image — a new logo and the first reversible design rug collection, which won the IMPIVA Award in 1990.

Signature Style

In 1996 the construction of his summer house in Ibiza, and the need to furnish it with outdoor pieces that suited the setting, led to his first furniture designs and to the company's first outdoor line. His work favours simplicity, harmony and proportion: architectural frames in aluminium, often with polyethylene or teak, inspired by Egyptian, Greek and Roman architecture. As he puts it, some of his chaise longues resemble ancient stone or wooden loungers — "the difference is that we use 21st century materials".

Notable Works

He has designed most of the furniture and textile collections GANDIABLASCO sells, including DNA, DNA Teak, Clip, Lipstick and 356, the Picnic folding furniture and Clack! Chair, the outdoor-spaces family Daybed, Sofa Pergola, Merendero and Tipi, the collections Arco, GBmodular, Islablanca, Cono, Chill and Timeless (with Borja García), the Basic and Flex pergolas (the latter with Gensler), and rugs such as Pack, Peineta, Hidra and Círculos.

Legacy

He inherited the company in 1999 and led its structural change, turning a family textile business into an international outdoor design brand present on five continents. He is the company's president and artistic director.