BD began in Barcelona in 1972, when architects Pep Bonet, Cristian Cirici, Lluís Clotet and Oscar Tusquets, together with interior designer Mireia Riera, set out to produce distinctive furniture and design objects. With financial backing from Oriol Regàs, the group opened a shop on Via Augusta under the name Bocaccio Design, combining experimental creations with re-editions of historic work and pieces by designers they admired.
After Regàs sold his stake, the company became BD Ediciones de Diseño and built its identity around design quality rather than commercial convention. In 1975, it secured the rights to reproduce furniture designed by Antoni Gaudí for Casa Batlló and Casa Calvet. The handcrafted editions helped establish a catalogue that brought historical works together with designs by the founders and international names including Ettore Sottsass and Álvaro Siza.
BD moved its headquarters to Casa Thomas, a building by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, in the late 1970s. The renovation, led by Cristian Cirici and Studio Per, restored original features and received Spain’s National Restoration Award in 1980. The site became a showcase for BD’s range, from Gaudí furniture to newer designs and international brands it distributed in Spain.
The company received Spain’s National Design Award in 1989 and the European Community Design Prize the following year. Its international profile grew further in 1992, when BD launched the first official collection of furniture and lamps based on Salvador Dalí’s designs. Among the pieces were the Mae West sofa and the Leda collection; BD’s work later appeared in the collections of New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Around the turn of the century, the company adopted the name BD Barcelona Design and expanded its roster with designers including Ross Lovegrove, Alfredo Häberli and Jaime Hayon. In 2011, it left Casa Thomas for a refurbished 600-square-metre industrial building in Poblenou, as it shifted its focus towards its own production and international reach.
In 2022, BD came under new ownership. The creative group includes Pablo Bofill and Luna Pavía of Bofill Taller de Arquitectura, Marco Velardi and Nacho Alegre of Apartamento Magazine, and Igor Urdampilleta of Arquitectura-G. Co-founder Oscar Tusquets remains involved, connecting the new team with the company’s beginnings.
The current owners say they want to build on BD’s legacy rather than simply manage it. Alongside its historic re-editions, the company is introducing work by designers including Van Severen, whose pieces include the Bridges Cabinet and Pillow sofa, and Sabine Marcelis, creator of the Stedelijk chair. The group describes its approach to publishing design as selecting and supporting ideas with cultural value and the potential to last.
Sources: La Vanguardia.