Treku is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its most international product, the Aura system. Gorka Aldabaldetreku, company co-director and the founder’s grandson, remembers the history of this innovative product that has resonated with the tastes of design lovers in more than 50 countries.

Perhaps 2011 was not the ideal year to launch a product that had so little in common with what was on the market at that time. Perhaps it was not the moment to present something with that formal appearance and those finishes. Perhaps that is why Treku presented an innovative furniture system, full of subtle details and offering countless ways to personalise it and adapt it to spaces. They christened it Aura and it allowed Treku with nearly 75 years of history to expand the portfolio of international markets in which it works.

Aura emerged at a strange time, not only for the furniture sector, but for the world in general. In 2011, a global financial crisis that would last several years began, and uncertainty was the norm for people and companies alike. Treku was not immune to those circumstances. “We needed to create something different. It wasn’t enough to present just another collection that matched what was already on the market. We had to take more of a risk,” explains Gorka Aldabaldetreku.

Treku contacted designers Angel Martí and Enrique Delamo for them to give substance to the idea the company had in mind: a modern modular system that could work in such a turbulent, complex time, and that could, at the same time, penetrate more foreign markets. “The fact that it was aimed at an international market brought with it some very specific conditions, such as making the collection easy to configure.” What did they develop? A piece of furniture whose light feet create the appearance that it is suspended, hypernatural finishes combined with a very judicious selection of colours… After a year of briefings, meetings and prototypes, Aura became a reality.

The Leap

It was time to present it to the world. Treku had taken this step before on other occasions, but never with a product like Aura. The Basque company embarked on a tour of the main European furniture fairs, such as Berlin, Cologne, Paris and Milan. “At fairs, you can see immediately whether people like the product a lot, a little or not much. People fell in love with Aura from the beginning,” explains Gorka Aldabaldetreku. The system was presented to society, thereby starting the wave of orders that would go on to encompass some 50 countries around the world. The minimalist concept of Aura even influenced the marketing strategy. For the first time in its history, Treku did not edit a catalogue to promote the new product, but rather produced a case of posters that showed details of the furniture, with precision and audacity. “Looking back now, it was very innovative – daring, even. There was another sort of energy, a lack of awareness that, from today’s perspective, might be surprising,” Gorka remarks.

Ten years have passed since that moment and Aura has achieved a sort of iconic status, having connected with so many styles and countries. Although Gorka avoids the idea of Aura as an icon, he is nevertheless very positive about how it has been received: “The system has worked particularly well in countries where there is a tradition and a culture around design, such as the United States, much of Europe, and even niches like South Korea and Singapore.”

Functions and compositions

One of the secrets to Aura’s popularity is its versatility and its capacity to adapt to and serve different spaces and environments – something that has surprised its own creators. “It offers many options for personalisation, the possibility to choose finishes in various natural woods and a broad menu of finishes and lacquers. You can do what you want with it, whatever you can imagine. In fact, clients have devised functions and compositions of the Aura that we had never imagined. Aura in a bathroom as a basin stand? It’s all welcome!” explains Angel Martí, one of the designers.

Gorka Aldabaldetreku smiles when he wonders how Aura will look in 2031, when it has its twentieth anniversary and remains, steadfast, in the company’s portfolio. It will have evolved, and will continue to evolve, but he doesn’t know how. “Aura is a timeless product, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be updated. Updates are necessary, as long as the product doesn’t lose its essence or turn into something else,” he concludes.