Magazine Feature, Published in Paprika Southern
Colas Modern
For David and Lara Colas, the guiding principle of their Savannah- based design studio, Colas Modern, is family. Together the creatives are forging a modern legacy, which was born when Lara curated David’s senior show at Savannah College of Art and Design for Ashmore Gallery. At the time, David was completing his degree in Furniture Design. Lara, who is responsible for the sales and marketing of the brand, has known how they would be successful from the start: “We have always worked well together because that is how we started.”
Today, with the addition of their young son Maximilien, they have grown into a design studio and workshop dedicated to product design. What makes Colas Modern so unique is the deep artisan roots of David’s family history that guide the contemporary vision of their furniture brand, Modern Heritage. They look to David’s 19th century ancestors—carpenters, slaters, and shoemakers from Blois, France—as the inspiration for the immaculate woodshop and studio now located on Louisville Road in Savannah. Each piece is custom-made and handcrafted using woodworking and metalworking techniques combined with laser technology. The collection includes contemporary luxury furniture and home goods with meticulous detail, such as their Modern Heritage serving tray made with soft walnut, surrounded by vogue marble. All materials are locally sourced, and David most enjoys the manufacturing element.
“I love the process of an idea happening from the beginning of a sketch. Manufacturing is all about the respect for the order of things.”
And yet, in the intervening ten years, he is still drawing on the design principles he learned while at SCAD.
“I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to experience exactly what I studied, and take it to the next level with our own company.”
Their dedication to the precision of craftsmanship past and present is what makes each piece so special. “When you have something that is truly handmade based on artisan values, sourced with local materials, with a livelihood made in the studio, it takes on an heirloom quality,” says David. Family is the most important aspect of the process, and their goal is to design pieces that people recognize as their Modern Heritage style, with a brief understanding of its origin and their deep commitment to its history.
The Colas’ story is an integral part of Savannah’s design growth and affords customers the benefits of having a local design team to custom craft exceptional pieces. As a furniture manufacturer that teaches people more about Savannah, the Colas are expanding the city’s creativity. With that expansion, they are hoping that their style will speak for itself as they organically evolve into future projects based on their passions, with David endearingly adding, “Our kids are certainly going to teach us more about where we want to go.”
It’s that commitment to the past and the present, both in their work and their family life that ensure that Colas Modern will have an impact on Savannah’s design community for generations to come.