Lleida, Spain, 1930
Porqueras himself admits that he started without really knowing what industrial design was. After taking some architecture courses and renovating some farmhouses, in 1965 he founded Stoa, a pioneering Catalan design company, which published, among other things, lamps by Enric Franch.
In 1979, together with Jaume Vaquero, he founded the company Vapor, which produced simple and warm lamps, going against the technological trend of the time. “The things I made were very simple,” says Lluís Porqueras. Although the industrial process involved 25 operations, the final result was absolutely simple. My interest was in stripping away, stripping away, and stripping away until only the essence of the useful and simple object remained.
In his own words, "Over time, I've realized I was a very bad businessman. Fortunately, Marset became interested in what we were doing at Vapor, and a large part of our catalog became part of his collection." In addition to lamps for his company, he collaborates with other companies such as Mobles 114 and Santa & Cole. Later, Porqueras worked for three years for Targetti creating a collection of lamps.
Among his designs, the Claris pendant lamp and the Finisterre bollard, created in collaboration with Joan Gaspar, stand out. “I’ve always believed that the light inside a space should be soft and create contrasts with focused light sources,” Porqueras reflects. “That’s what creates well-being and serenity. Your home should be a refuge from the harshness of the city outside.” Lamps are switched on for a few hours a day; the rest of the time they should maintain a certain discretion so they don't bother you when they're off, only making their presence known when they're on... like fireflies. I'm not interested in fashion; I've never made fashionable lamps.