Sezi Brand - the common language of signs and numbers in art

In today's material we will present the story of the Sezi brand, whose founders are Octavia Lois and Lucian Lois. Both are graduates of the Faculty of Architecture and passionate about traditions and work to bring to life beautiful wooden products. Besides the fact that they are beautiful and transmit a lot of emotion, the products are an anchor to the Romanian popular values ​​and traditions. Let's see together what happens in the Sezi workshop in Hapria, Alba county, what are the challenges in this business and how Sezi products can reach your home as well.

1. Hi, Octavia. Tell us about SEZI. When was it born and what is the story of this idea?
Sezi appeared almost 8 years ago. I was a student, Luci had already graduated from the Faculty of Architecture in Cluj. It all started with the idea of ​​Petrana Costa, my grandmother, to create a set of chairs, in fact two pieces of furniture detached from a whole. These elegantly and firmly combined objects represent the union of masculine and feminine principles.
After establishing the theme and the concept, I went with the drawings to Bucovina to Luci's uncle, Constantin Donisan. In his carpentry workshop were made the first two chairs that would determine our path and which we called SEZI - sit at your house, sit on the chair. I gave them a wedding gift to some friends, they took nice pictures of them, I put them on the internet, Adela Parvu saw them, she wrote an article about us and the orders started. We had no workshop, no knowledge of carpentry, nor did we know that we would do this in the future, but we accepted all the challenges. We stayed with Luci's uncle for quite a while, until we realized that we like to bring computer projects to reality. Radu Lois, Luci's father, encouraged us and helped us build a small workshop in the yard of the holiday home in Hapria, Alba County. I had patience, ambition and support from all sides.
Having the role of designers, we turned our attention to folklore. Through the creative modeling of the popular tradition at contemporary standards, the work "Sezi" brings its own contribution to the whole of the universal culture, putting the imprint of the Romanian people.

2. Who is behind the SEZI brand?
Octavia Lois, Lucian Lois, and over the years we have had various collaborators with whom we have evolved and whom we thank: Ioan Dumitreasa, Viorel Bota, Cornel Chiorean, Dorel Arsan. We are currently collaborating with Atelier53 from Deva. Most of the projects reach them in the workshop, especially the complicated and larger ones. We work on concepts, design and organization, sales, promotion, discussions with clients, but we also have activity in the workshop, because we like to study proportions and to work. On the metal side, we collaborate with George Adam and Ciprian Dan.

3. What does it mean today to have a carpentry workshop and what are the main challenges?
It's complicated. Especially now, when wood is expensive and harder to find, to which is added the rest of the expenses in the workshop. And skilled people, craftsmen, talented carpenters are increasingly difficult to find. We have a great team of young people with whom we collaborate, and we use our workshop for smaller products, prototypes, the study of shapes.

4. Has the Covid19 pandemic influenced the brand you run?
Yes, we had several orders in the so-called pandemic, because people realized that the environment in which we live influences us and it is important that the objects around us are personalized, full of emotion and good energy.

5. What are the sources of inspiration for the objects you make?
Old books with Romanian furniture and architecture, excursions, exhibitions, museums, careful selection of the pages we watch online.

6. Where do you buy the raw material for making the products? I have heard that the price of wood has risen considerably and I know that you use 90% wood. How did you manage these challenges in the construction materials market?
Over the years we have bought wood from a warehouse in Teius, but most of the time we have been taking ready-made oak panels from Valger Lemn, Blaj and lime panels from Boca Panel, Botosani.

7. Make very beautiful things using only wood. Are people looking for such products? Do we understand that we go back a little to the origins, to the wooden furniture in the grandparents' kitchen, made by hand by the carpenter from the village?
Thank you. Yes, it is a category of people who still appreciate and buy solid wood products. We go back to the origins, but we use the technology and the details that satisfy the needs of the present. However, we believe that the art of the Romanian past is reborn vigorously and is heading towards new horizons.

8. Please tell us what you are currently working on and what your plans are for the future.
We are currently working on several parallel projects: a massive oak bed with a decorative backrest like the "Roots and Wings" bench; metal bedside tables joined with wood - a collaboration with Anadora Lupo, a trout - The pillar of heaven; some graphic design; decorative shelves and dowry boxes; Prasnele - rotating swings; coffee tables; two chairs for the bride and groom - we are godparents twice this year; Aromas Sew sewn cushions; There are still four chairs from the Anotimpuri collection, a bench and a Pumpkin table, which will be exhibited in Germany next month. In parallel, we are working on our land, which must be cleaned and prepared for two traditional houses that come in the fall - in one of them there will be a shop with a Sezi museum.

9. In the end, thank you very much for introducing us a little into the world of Sezi. Please tell, whats the story of them big puppys ..... Can I only find you online or is there a showroom?
You can find us online on sezi.ro, instragram sezi.ro, facebook Sezi, mail sezibrand@gmail.com, at tel. 0758250011, and in a year or two there will be a physical store, here near the workshop, in Hapria.