Oasis: Behind the Luxury Italian Furniture Brand

It was 1908 in Polcenigo, Italy, a small northeastern hillside village just 100 kilometres outside of Venice, and a young entrepreneur named Floriano Quaia had a dream, to create luxury Italian furniture that would last a lifetime. It was from Floriano’s small carpentry workshop in the Friulian hills that the Oasis journey began. Courage indeed.

“Italy has centuries of traditions in artisanal skills – a spirit which can be felt and touched in every authentic Made in Italy product,” explains Francesco Quaia, Floriano’s grandson and the owner of Oasis who represents the third generation Quaia. Over the course of a century, it has been this artisanal spirit of his nation and the courage of his great-grandfather to take that first step into the unknown which has served as the brand’s impetus for over 100 years.

In 1945, nearly four decades after Floriano’s foray into the furniture manufacturing world, his son Bernardo took advantage of the optimism of the post-war years by taking the next major step in the Oasis story. He turned his father’s workshop into a real business and, in the ensuing years, his sons Francesco and, later, Floriano expanded the business. They built a factory and, in 1972, established Oasis’ forerunner brand – Arredamenti Quaia.

Arredementi Quaia’s pieces were wholly designed and handmade in Italy – continuing to champion the country’s renowned tradition for fine craftsmanship, style and passion. A trifecta which continues to this day. Here, then, is tradition.

“The skilful hands of Oasis craftsmen create products using high-quality raw materials,” says Lorenzo Quaia, “They bring to life bespoke projects, designed on custom needs and tastes. Oasis luxury Italian furniture [is a] “haute couture” gown, which will perfectly complement [environments] as if they were a second skin.”

But the art of reinvention courses through the veins of this brand and it wasn’t long before the winds of innovation took the brand in a new direction. The 1980s saw Arredamenti Quaia rebranded as Oasis.

The decade also marked the brand’s entrance into the international design arena and, in 1980, the brand exhibited for the first time at Salone del Mobile – Europe’s preeminent furniture design fair. It has been a staple of the “Salone” circuit ever since, much-loved by the design world’s sophisticated set for its timeless inspirations and fine Italian craftsmanship rooted in tradition.

Strongly influenced by the Art Deco era as well as that of iconic Italian design of the 40s and 50s, the Oasis designs stand out as modern-day classics. Collections are organised into cohesive suites; not in a staid or obvious way, but in a way that recalls the composed elegance of its early 20th century inspiration.

“Oasis collections celebrate the icons of an era recognised for its refined and tasteful elegance: that period of the last century between the end of the 1920s and the second World War,” Federica explains, “From Art Deco, Oasis has taken the love for precious materials – marble, gold, bronze, leather, velvet, precious woods – the atmospheres of the Telefoni Bianchi movies [an Italian movie genre that imitated the Hollywood movies of the time; translates to “white telephone”], the timeless elegance of the bourgeois middle-class house, the “salle de bain” style for its gorgeous bathrooms… The result is a plethora of soft, inviting shapes, as evident in upholstered armchairs and rich velvet finishes or sizeable tables displaying tops in marble or gloss lacquer with precious metal elements or even in those vintage pieces such as writing desks and dressing tables which convey a sense of times gone by and are often overlooked in the modern age.” This strong identity rounds off the brand’s three-fold make-up.

Nowadays, it’s the fourth generation who head the company, transitioning the Oasis brand into the 21st century, redefining the idea of luxury Italian furniture by drawing on the brand’s heritage and planning its future. Even a glancing introduction to the brand’s new logo sums up its penchant for eternal innovation: “Evolution of a Brand, Evolution of a Company; Evolution of a Vision.” The Oasis mark identifies each and every one of the brand’s pieces – a stamp of approval the likes of which one could imagine Floriano might give.

Whilst his humble effort was just the beginning of the story, it was Floriano’s ambition and vision for fine furniture making which remains; it is his founding tradition of Italian craftsmanship and understanding of timeless design that informs every single one of its designs; and it is his tenacity and commitment to excellence which has supported the Oasis empire for over a century.

“Oasis does everything with great respect: respect for the clients, respect for the workers, respect for the environment,” ensures commercial director Francesca, proudly, “That means that the materials come from certified suppliers, and that the company is always striving to make its clients happy and satisfied. A happy client is a returning client.”

And no one can argue with that.