Various designers under the umbrella of De La Espada are exhibiting at Milan Design Week 2010 at Zona Romana. The idea behind the varied furniture showcase–which includes such global firms as the Japanese Leif.designpark, the Turkish Autoban (from Istanbul, not Constantinople), and the British Studiolise and Matthew Hilton–is to present “furniture with a focus on retail presentation for the wholesale market.”

Tapas Chair. Designed by Matthew Hilton for De La Espada.

De La Espada is a groundbreaking company that manages independent design brands and manufactures their products with rigorous quality control at the De La Espada factory in Portugal. By taking over the business side of furniture design, De La Espada frees designers to do what they do best–design: “Each designer has creative control over every aspect of their brand from product design to art direction, resulting in authentic product lines.”

An adaptation of the solid wood Tapas Chair by Matthew Hilton is part of De La Espada’s Milan presentation. The new version, aptly named Upholstered Tapas Chair, clads the simple, streamlined chair in a colorful suit of fabric or leather. Tapas remains poised on its three tapered legs, and its materials remain the same: American Black Walnut, American White Oak and beech, or plywood with walnut or oak veneer. Hilton, after all, is well-known for his expert use of wood, turning the organic material with his crafty hands. Both versions of the Tapas Chair take something essential from their Spanish namesakes, those perfectly sized dishes that provide just enough and no more–because Hilton’s Upholstered Tapas Chair does exactly that. It’s a pared down version of a side chair that, while satisfying, leaves you wanting more.