Calm Chechu, the 'made in Spain' furniture brand that sweeps its chairs

Cecilia Mallardi (Buenos Aires, 1972) arrived in Spain 20 years ago with the firm intention of launching her career as an actress.

"We came because my husband, who is a jeweler, was offered a job in Marbella," she says in the Calma Chechu showroom, a furniture brand she created in 2013 and

'.

"I was one of the first to bet on it."

But let's start at the beginning of the story.

Living from acting -he had studied Dramatic Art in his country- was not as viable as he had imagined and he did not hesitate to explore other work horizons when the opportunity arose.

"A friend told me about an Englishman who had an industrial warehouse where she sold things that she brought from Thailand."

.

She "had never sold a piece of furniture", although she soon found herself comfortable in her role with the public.

"The day I sold 400 armchairs to a hotel, the owner did not believe it."

Between one sale and another, Cecilia took time out each week to fly to Madrid "and take monologue courses at the SGAE."

She still looked on stage.

When the time came to move to Madrid, he did so with a new furniture project under his arm.

"We had a capitalist partner who supported us, but the 2008 crisis came and destroyed everything," he recalls as he retouches his hair for the photos.

Despite everything, he returned to try a third business with partners before launching himself alone.

"The time had come to bet.

".

She was already known in the sector and it was time to create something of her own.

Those were the beginnings of Calma Chechu.

"In Argentina, Cecilias are called Chechu. And this was the phrase that I repeat to myself when I'm stressed or something important has to be decided."

Corner of the 'showroom' of Tetouan.

It was clear to him that he did not want to travel to Asia to bring back containers full of parts.

"The chip had to be changed."

It was her husband, Alejandro Alloco (60 years old), who put on the table the option of "starting to do things here."

to embark on the adventure with them.

"Mariano del Olmo, the locksmith, was the first and still continues today."

The markets, such as the Motors at the Railway Museum, were its best showcases.

"In the beginning, we would tune up furniture that was left over from the previous project."

And the chairs arrived, theirs.

They did tests until they found the model they were looking for.

"We sell thousands a year."

His Retro chair was precisely the one that caught the attention of some decorators in one of those markets and accelerated the course of the brand.

"They asked me for 60 and I always said we could do it."

.

In the charming 'showroom' that they have in Tetouan, where they exhibit their creations -there are also tables, sideboards, shelves, desks and fabrics to upholster to taste-, Cecilia

.

"Usually I am in the workshop we have in Meco, working on the pieces, which is where I enjoy the most."

There are five people on the staff, plus 12 workshops that work with them.

Table with Retro Vichy chair.

They have shipped orders to the Dominican Republic, France, St. Petersburg, and London, among other places.

Cecilia remembers every order and every person.

"I am very meticulous."

She does not seek to make a super popular brand, "I prefer to do less and better".

Quality is her obsession: "

" and she boasts about the clientele -including celebrities and well-known faces- that she has carved out for herself.

"They are very faithful and the recurrence is very high."

During the pandemic, her

(she has almost 48,000 followers and is the one who manages it) became an escape route.

"I think she likes what we do because it has essence."

The opening of the website a year ago was another turning point for the project.

"The originality is in seeing what you do differently in something that already exists".

After 18 years in the sector, she has found her role.

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

Know more