WORDS Steve Smith
From a recent trip to Portugal visiting the country’s leading furniture, textile and ceramic brands, VISI editor Steve Smith picks two handcrafted tableware standouts.
Costa Nova
Since 1998, Grestel has been designing and manufacturing Costa Nova stoneware products, from tableware, kitchenware and bakeware to decorative pieces. What caught my eye on the afternoon I spent at their showroom and factory were the Livia and Lagoa Eco Gres collections. The organic silhouettes of the Livia range look wonderful in the matte-speckled mauve-rose glaze, while the sustainable Lagoa Eco Gres range, made of recycled clay, features contrasting glazes-matte and dark grey on the exterior, and translucent white and black on the interior.
Vista Alegre
A blue riband Portuguese brand, Vista Alegre has been making fine porcelain, crystalware and glassware on the same premises since 1824. If you’re in ever in the vicinity of Aveiro, its museum and hotel are definitely worth a visit. The revered brand not only makes tableware for embassies and heads of state, but you’ll also s pieces displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. I loved the two ranges inspired by art, architecture and design of the early 20th century. The colourful Futurismo is a nod to the vibrancy and optimism of the Futurist art movement, while the Emerald range is all about the golden era of Art Deco.
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