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Wooden table and iron chair at Lisbon by Design

Lisbon by Design showcases "contemporary interpretations of Portuguese heritage"

This year's Lisbon by Design features design pieces, craftworks and collaborative installations made in Portugal exclusively for the design fair, which is hosted in the city's Gomes Freire Palace.

Now in its fourth edition, the annual event showcases furniture, lighting and decorative objects as solo and collaborative installations in a series of rooms.

Lisbon by Design founder Julie de Halleux explained that the 24 exhibitors created exclusive pieces for the show, which is open to the public from 23 to 26 May, and some worked together to exhibit complementary works side by side in the same room.

Furniture and lighting at Lisbon by Design
Alan Louis's contribution to the fair included a light shade with hanging strands of porcelain

"Everything is made in Portugal, and, moreover, everything has been created unique and specifically for the fair and their allocated space," De Halleux told Dezeen.

"Focused on contemporary interpretations of Portuguese heritage, as well as the deep-rooted connection to tradition and nature, visitors can expect to immerse in an assorted collection of techniques and perspectives."

Designer Alan Louis, who hails from Brittany but now resides in Portugal, created a range of furniture and lighting with graphic shapes made from ceramic.

Table and textiles at a Portugal design event
Bhya Sugai created hanging textiles displayed with terracotta tables by Pareidólia

His designs included a coffee table with a pyramid-shaped base and circle wooden tabletop, side tables covered in spikes and a ceiling lamp with long ceramic strands draped and hung over a frame.

"The light shade is made of porcelain normally used for vases, but I decided to make hand-rolled snakes, and they're not fixed so they move in the air," Louis told Dezeen.

Furniture at Lisbon by Design
Sugai also made a blue and terracotta-coloured concrete table. Photo by Pedro Gomes Almeida

For her Portugal-based design studio Azure, Brazilian artist Bhya Sugai created a blue and terracotta-coloured concrete table with complementary linen textiles, which were exhibited alongside stoneware by Portuguese studio Pareidólia.

Sharing similar terracotta hues, the pieces by Pareidólia included sculptural tables and lamps with geometric forms.

"I'm from Brasilia and have a relationship with concrete – it feels like home when I work with concrete," Sugai told Dezeen. "But the terracotta colour is related to Pareidólia's ceramics from Portugal."

Spiral gold cutlery
Spiralling cutlery by Sebastião Lobo was displayed atop and driftwood table by Apewood. Photo by Aïssatou Martire

Another collaboration formed for the design fair was furniture and tableware crafted by Portuguese design studio Apewood and Portuguese artist Sebastião Lobo.

Apewood used driftwood to create a dining table and a shelving unit, which was pinned together with chicken bones. This was intended to complement Lobo's organically shaped metal cutlery and monolithic iron chairs.

In one of the Gomes Freire Palace rooms was a curated space by Porto-based design company Origin Made, which included collectible pieces from different studios.

Alongside wooden furniture pieces was a hanging cone pendant light designed by Danish studio Norm Architects and wall lights made from Portuguese marble and ash wood, designed by Origin Made co-founder Gabriel Tan.

Wall tapestries up a staircase
Atelier Daciano da Costa reproduced wall tapestries that were originally designed in the 1970s

Hand-tufted wall tapestries designed in 1971 by Portuguese architect and designer Daciano da Costa were displayed by the main staircase.

Named Penta, the design was reproduced by Atelier Daciano da Costa for Lisbon by Design.

Tile art display at Lisbon by Design
Tiles decorated with a blotted sea-like design were exhibited by Viúva Lamego

Celebrating its 175th anniversary, Sintra-based tile manufacturer Viúva Lamego showcased two of its artist residencies – tiled panels with a hand-blotted design by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance with ceramic pots by Bela Silva.

Portuguese ceramic artist Carlos Manuel Gonçalves, who usually creates monster-like figures in bright colours, aimed to merge artistic identities with textile sculptor Maria Pratas by creating an all-black design informed by Pratas' dark woven wall hangings.

Furniture displayed at a Portuguese design fair
Dark wooden seats and tables by Odile and Miguel Saboya were among the Portuguese-designed furniture at the exhibition

Also featured at Lisbon by Design were light shades that were hand crocheted by Portuguese textile artist Ana Paula Almeida from unwanted woolstock, as well as a series of wood, metal and glass furniture by Lisbon-based Martinho Pita Studio, Barracão and Hum Gallery.

Elsewhere in the exhibition were sculptures by Belgian ceramist Geraldine de Lemos, textiles and furniture by Serra da Estrela-based wool manufacturer Burel Factory, painted textile wall panels by design duo Pedro Farinha and Ana Rosa, and furniture and textiles by Portuguese lifestyle brand Odile with Lisbon-based designer Miguel Saboya.

Wall cabinet by Origin Made
Origin Made curated a space filled with furniture made from natural materials

More pieces by Portuguese designers included a wool installation by João Bruno Videira, tapestries by Mariana Rola Pereira, sculptures by Amande Haeghen, decorative ceramics by Vania Gonçalves, and ceramic wall lights by Studio Ēeme.

Other recent design fairs that have taken place include NYCxDesign, which included an exhibition of metal furniture by three female designers, and Clerkenwell Design Week in London, where architect Peter Morris unveiled a pink arched installation made from a polystyrene-based imitation stone.

The photography is by Claudia Rocha unless stated.

Lisbon by Design takes place from 22 to 26 May at Gomes Freire Palace, Rua Gomes Freire 98, Lisbon, Portugal. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Furniture and objects at Lisbon by Design
Furniture and objects at Lisbon by Design
Furniture and objects at Lisbon by Design
Furniture and objects at Lisbon by Design
Furniture and objects at Lisbon by Design
Furniture and objects at Lisbon by Design
Furniture and objects at Lisbon by Design
Furniture and objects at Lisbon by Design
Furniture and objects at Lisbon by Design
Furniture and objects at Lisbon by Design
Furniture and objects at Lisbon by Design
Furniture and objects at Lisbon by Design
Furniture and objects at Lisbon by Design
Furniture and objects at Lisbon by Design
Furniture and objects at Lisbon by Design
Furniture and objects at Lisbon by Design