EDRA, from the ancient Greek ἕδρα, “seat”

EDRACADABRA: the transformation of seats and, by extension, objects

EDRA is the brainchild of Lili Chuard. We are first and foremost a showroom exhibiting unique vintage and antique furniture, homewares and textiles collected from fairs, markets and vendors throughout Europe; we also offer bespoke consultancy and upholstery services, sourcing one-of-a-kind pieces for clients and expertly restoring them to their needs.

We are a Swiss company with roots in Europe, honouring centuries of craftsmanship and tradition with a focus on design, quality and execution. Our showroom pieces are created by international designers and artisans, and our restorations form a seamless dialogue between their products and our clients. We are committed to sustainable work practices and passionate about celebrating the value of artistic professions.

Lili’s collection of furniture, homewares and textiles reflects both her immersion in interior architecture, fine art and design and her international sensibility. EDRA is a culmination of the many strands of her career – a space between a showroom, an atelier and gallery, inviting both creation and collaboration.

To book an appointment to visit our showroom, please click here.

Lili was born and raised in Switzerland to an engineer and artist father and jeweler mother, both passionate furniture and homeware collectors.

Her parents being avid travelers, she was able to discover the world and develop her eye for architecture, art, objects and textiles from a young age. Her love of fabrics was kindled by her grandmother in St Gall, in the heart of the Swiss textile industry, where the local haberdashery’s paper-maché boxes revealed endless trimmings and embroideries to adorn her dolls and cardboard models – and the shop of the man nicknamed the ‘Wizard of Oz’, the great Jacob Schlaepffer, teemed with rolls of velours devoré, lace, silk brocade, crèpe de chine and other exceptional treasures to sift through.

With hours spent with her father in his studio having proved infinitely more absorbing than school, Lili naturally gravitated towards studies in interior architecture at Geneva’s Haute Ecole d’Art et de Design (HEAD). Inspired by both Rem Koolhaas’ avant-garde architecture and Joep van Lieshout’s surreal designs, she left the cocoon of Geneva to complete internships at architecture firms in the land of Jacques Brel and its idiosyncratic artists.

Once back in Switzerland, Lili migrated to the art world. With the atypical dealer Daniel Varenne she learned the industry’s codes, met curators, artists and gallerists and travelled to international fairs. After expatriating herself first to Athens and then to London to raise her daughters, she completed an upholstery course in the latter with Bob Barnett at the Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers (AMUSF).

She lives in Geneva with her husband and three children.