Ana Pinto : The Essence of the La Nena Brand

In full harmony with the delicate aesthetic and artisanal charm that characterises it, La Nena comes to Portugal by the hands of Ana Pinto, an entrepreneur passionate for design, decoration and unique sensorial experiences. In this interview, Ana shares with us the journey that made her bring this reference brand to our country, the challenges andd achievements along the way, as well as the essence behind each piece and created space. From the store in matosinhos to the cozy coffee corner, we get to know the vision behind La Nena and the plans for the future of the brand that promises to conquer the heart of the portuguese people.

What led you to bring La Nena to Portugal?

I worked almost 10 years in the area of interior design and architecture and was faced with the clear limitati on of this profession, which is totally dependent on the response of suppliers to make projects real. Therefore, when I met a brand that broke this barrier, and that allows us to transform the design we imagine into a real project, I felt that I had to bring it to our country. In addition, we are talking about a completely unique and differentiating brand and image concept, which does not leave anyone indiff erent, regardless of whether they are an expert in the area or not. Finally, it is a brand with an internati onal presence, created in A Coruña, and sti ll without a nati onal presence.

How would you describe the essence of the La Nena brand?

At La Nena Home we are hand in hand with human work, with the ability of Man to create, with his own hands, something spectacular and handmade. In addition, to our essence is added the customizati on, through unique works, of creating something unique for a place, with a specific purpose.

What was the biggest challenge in introducing the brand to the Portuguese market?

So far, I would say that the big challenge has been to promote the brand, to make it known to others. When we manage to impact the professional audience, the biggest differentiating factor has been our work with micro cement, as we have a unique aspect, with fi nishes diff erent from the usual ones on the market and
with the possibility of creating a little bit of everything, that is, any texture, color, effect or format. When we reach the final audience, the surprise factor is great, because we differ from most interior decoration stores in our country.

How did your career path influence this decision?

I think it influenced in many ways. A big decision always ends up being the culminationof so many small decisions we make during our journey, personal or professional. The fact that I paint and have a project (Anistudio) where I create customized pieces for a specific location and client is directly linked to the way I work at La Nena Home. In addition, the experience of working for nine years in a multinational company, where I dealt directly with the administrative area and where I had the opportunity to understand the internal workings, monitor and be part of decision-making, ended up providing me with the necessary bases to be able to embrace a project such as La Nana Home and its introduction in the national market.

What kind of products and materials does La Nena offer?

We are specialists in the art of micro cement applied to coatings, floors, walls and ceilings, and from this material we can create any type of furniture, from tables, chairs, lighting pieces. Our showroom shows a little of what is possible to do. What we are looking for is to offer a 360 service, we want both the end customer and the professional to be able to come to us with a project idea and that we can materialize everything.

What differentiates La Nena's products from the others on the market?

I would say the ease with which anything can be created. At La Nena Home we can do everything: we break with the idea that everything has to be rectangular, that we cannot defy gravity and have two pieces of decoration suspended with a ceiling 5m high, for example. And of course, the infinite amount of supply. At the moment, we have developed close to 4,000 different finishes, as we are constantly reinventing ourselves and adapting to what each project, designer and architect is looking for: in a project in which it makes sense to have a facade with remains of seashells, because we are by the beach, we will create this element; in a project in which a cellar is designed and we want to work a microcement with recycled glass remains in all kinds of colors, we can do it or, simply, a brand that wants to create a unique color, as an image, almost as an aroma that stands out for you, we can create it.

Can you describe the store space in Matosinhos and the concept behind it?

In the showroom of La Nena Home de Matosinhos, our goal was, above all, to be able to create different environments that could make known different types of solutions. In 140m2 we have seven different environments:
An entrance zone, where we show solutions such as hidden doors and wall murals with a staircase that has been transformed into a sculptural piece
Because we can combine a functional element with something completely visual;
A coffee zone in which we can experience the concept of what a La Nena restaurant or café can be, with a bench that turns into furniture and a decorative piece lowers the
ceiling to feel led to sit;
A decoration store area, with all the offer to dress a house, from individual tables, coffee cups, sideboards, which has a curtain-shaped texture wall that creates a threedimensional effect, which accompanied by all the lighting very thought out in detail, gives us a sense of calm and peace;
A canopy area, with an environment inspired by Morocco andchocolate tones;
In the toilet we show how creating a washbasin piece can have a completely different and unique image, the illuminated mirrors show how to create what would be a less
interesting area of the house or store at a point of clear interest;
A sample room, with all surfaces with a projected finish and indirect lighting create a totally different environment;
And a painting studio, where I create the works of Anistudio, in which the arches of the facade are joined with the arches of the mezzanine, allowing direct vision to floor 0 and creating a feeling of levitation.

How did the idea for the La Nena Coffee corner come about and what are the plans for it?

The idea for La Nena Coffee came about three years ago – the first project started in Dubai – and comes as a result of the creation of a regular visiting space for La Nena Stores. When we like a place, we want to visit it often, but we will not visit a decoration store daily. We do it if we have a purpose. In this sense, La Nena Home combines the decor with the concept of coffee and so the public can enjoy this space every day, at any time. You can have a cup of coffee, realize that chair was exactly what was missing from your home, or buy a set of handmade cups of coffee from our team of artisans. Deep down, we're promoting a lifestyle. We are engaging consumers with the essence of La Nena Home, which is a way of life too, with aspects such as personalization, sustainability, micro cement, manufacturing, as a core.

How did the idea for the La Nena Coffee corner come about and what are the plans for it?

Very positive, I think it couldn`t be better. The differentiation factor, the surprise, the environment of the space, make the customer feel in a unique place, which ends up being highly valued.
Especially nowadays, when it seems increasingly difficult to be surprised. We have many customers who end up returning to show the space to friends exactly because they feel surprised in their city, they do not need to go further.

What are your plans for the future of La Nena in Portugal?

Take La Nena Home to Lisbon and the Algarve. We want to make our concept reach the whole country. At this moment, because it is the place where I am, it made sense to open in Matosinhos and we have had visits from all over the country, but physically it is important to be able to reach these two places in the near future.