Portugal, Eldorado archi, design, craft?

Joana Astolfi

Designer - Studio Astolfi

Joana Astolfi (b. Lisbon, 1975) is an artist, architect and designer who draws visual inspiration from a broad universe of found objects. Porcelain statuettes, miniatures, vintage chairs, lamps, toys, diaries and photographs of people she never met populate and shape her creative vision. Her artworks, installations and window displays are inspired by imperfections, mistakes and the irrepressibility of humor. A keen sense of history also characterizes her interior design and architectural work for commercial and private clients. Distinctive surfaces, fixtures, details, textures and patinas bring depth and complexity to clean, simple lines and illuminated open spaces, always with an eye toward the history and memory of the place. Astolfi sees objects and spaces as experiences, caught in time, but also capable of transcending and bridging time - and she leads her audiences on this fantastic journey. Astolfi has lived and worked in London, Munich, Venice and Los Angeles, returning to Lisbon in 2007 to set up Studio Astolfi. Starting from Joana’s creative vision, Studio Astolfi is a team of artists, artisans, sculptors, designers, architects, and technicians who specialize in telling stories, evoking memories, and captivating the curiosity of our audiences. Astolfi’s work has been exhibited in various countries and acquired by several collectors. She is Portugal’s window designer for Hermès since 2014 and invited artist window designer worldwide.

Artur Miranda & Jacques Bec

Interior Architects - Oitoemponto

Oitoemponto* emerged in 1993 from the perfect alchemy between two strikingly different but terribly complementary personalities. It is almost the ideal success story. With Artur Miranda’s experience of the world of fashion and design, he set himself apart by his decidedly modern vision of decoration, a clearly marked desire to break with the established codes and dare the most unexpected combinations, while at the same time fostering and developing an innate sense of colour. Jacques Bec brings to the duo a refreshing enthusiasm and the French touch, as well as the precious know-how acquired during his studies at the Met de Penninghen graphic arts school in Paris. Together, the two designers create sublime décors for dozens of lucky people. Each production is the fruit of long hours of coordination during which the lifestyle of the client is examined in minute detail in order to create an optimum match for their needs and wishes. The result is a subtle mixture of the owners’ tastes and the incomparable talent of Jacques Bec and Artur Miranda. Unique places, at once refined and convenient to live in, bright and discreet, modern and timeless… A delicately joyous and chic atmosphere, just like the two designers. *Oitoemponto means “eight o’clock precisely” in Portuguese. The Porto Showroom Artur Miranda and Jacques Bec wanted to create a place that would serve as both work space and showroom, and in 2002 took over 300m2 premises in a quiet, upmarket neighbourhood of Porto, not far from the sea. The location is the reflection of their work: a successful mix of furniture by the leading designers of the 1940s to 1970s, delightfully and harmoniously rubbing shoulders with numerous creations by Oitoemponto as well as a very selective array of works of art and unique pieces from reputed designers, all delicately enveloped in perfume created by Frédéric Malle. This is the work setting of all the staff of Oitoemponto, which now comprises around ten designers and four architects, enabling the creators, since 2007, to work on very large scale projects both in Portugal and abroad - London, Paris, Luanda or São Paulo, for example. The Ritz Showroom Based in Porto, Jacques Bec and Artur Miranda travel frequently to Lisbon where they manage multiple projects. Rather than invest in a pied-à-terre, they prefer to check into the Ritz where they find the discrete opulence and the numerous art works reminiscent of the atmospheres they create. This luxury hotel having become their “second home”, it seemed quite natural for it to host their second showroom. Situated on the ground floor of the establishment, a selection from the work of the two designers is on display in the 16 m2 corner, alongside candles and scents from Frédéric Malle and “Oitoemponto, architecture & intérieurs”, the book devoted to the work of the two designers, published by La Martinière. A refined yet cosy reception space, in perfect harmony with the five-star setting. Fine & Candy Passionate about the authenticity and exceptional skills of the craftsmen they work with daily, Jacques Bec and Artur Miranda invested in a Portuguese company specialising in the manufacture of luxury stationery items. Conceived by the designers and crafted in the purest tradition, Fine & Candy products are a skilful blend of very contemporary sources of inspiration and ancestral know-how. Like the world of fashion, the brand proposes two collections a year, which systematically include a few exceptional pieces created in collaboration with the artists in vogue at the time. These classical and crazy “stationery works”, of an absolutely incomparable charm are on display in the eponymous store located a short distance from the Porto showroom.

Amandio Pereira

Founder & CEO - Covet Group

Founder & CEO of Covet Group, an international creative company that holds and manages 11 luxury design brands, he started the journey in the design world in 2005 when he founded the renowned Boca do Lobo. Deeply connected with the Portuguese legacy of fine craftsmanship, he soon started to draw attention for its statement and edgy furniture and lighting collection’ brands after he finished his degree in Product Design by Politecnico di Milano. Injecting considerable verve into a previously conservative industry in Portugal, Amândio revealed strong leadership and entrepreneurship managing nowadays a corporation with 40 distinct businesses with more than 500 employees. Due to his motto in life to inspire the world through Design and Craftsmanship, in 2018 he established the Covet Foundation. A non-profit institution which works as a tribute to Arts & Crafts, along as promoting a valuable environment across industries, where skilled artisans are encouraged and treasured worldwide.

Guy-Claude Agboton

Journalist, Head of design section - IDEAT Magazine