When an architect of Manuel Aires Mateus' stature turns his attention to product design, the design world takes notice. Known for his minimalist approach that celebrates materiality, light, and form, the Portuguese architect has ventured beyond buildings to create objects that inhabit our everyday spaces.
When did you start to incorporate designing objects into your architectural practice?
About 20 years ago, I tried to start designing products to support the Portuguese industry, but it just wasn't the right time. We wanted to build design objects here in Portugal and export them internationally, in part to boost the Portuguese industry and showcase this country’s strong craft heritage, however people weren't ready for it back then.
Our second, more recent attempt, happened very organically in collaboration with architect Maria Rebelo Pinto from our architecture studio who also has a strong background in interior design. We have always been designing small things out of necessity, choosing main items in spaces like beds, large sofas, tables. Our clients would then finish their homes with other items.
When collaborating with people to finalize houses, sometimes we couldn't find the right table or chair, so that's when we began designing things ourselves. Now it feels obvious to design objects, but it was never planned.
What was your first brand collaboration?
De La Espada. It was an interesting collaboration with Luis De Oliveira, especially as we have a shared vision about the future of living spaces, and how they need to evolve to adapt in accordance with people moving more often and needing to take their belongings with them. It makes less sense now to integrate built-in elements like armoires. This reflects the evolution of our work as architects as well.
It's been a rich collaboration, and in a way, our understanding of the design world has been shaped by this relationship.
How do your collaborations typically come about?
Every collaboration has a different story. Sometimes brands come to us, and sometimes we go to them because of their unique savoir faire.
For instance, De La Espada initially asked for a specific design that didn't work out, but the collaboration materialized a few years later after an ongoing exchange of ideas. With Cutipol, we actually approached them for their unique expertise. Topázio was celebrating a 150 year anniversary and asked us to create a piece for this occasion.
The watch brand Cauny recently came to us directly as they are launching a series of watches designed by architects (it is in prototype stage still).
We've already collaborated with the homeware brand Area on the design of their shops and have the desire to explore designing some pieces to be sold by them too.
As you can tell, we're becoming increasingly interested in this world.
What are your aspirations in product design?
My aspiration is to design for intimacy - to create objects that become part of people's daily rituals, things you might discover in a friend's kitchen or living room without thinking twice about them. I'm drawn to working with more mainstream brands because they have the reach to put thoughtful design into ordinary spaces.
There's something powerful about designing new archetypes - taking essential objects and refining them until they feel inevitable. Whether it's a chair, a lamp, or even technology for the home, I'm interested in things that serve a fundamental need but can be elevated through careful consideration.
Our most successful pieces emerge organically from personal encounters. The chair we developed for De La Espada was inspired partly by a 'Ply' chair by Jasper Morrison that I came across during a convent renovation. I brought it home, and it became the chair for me - the standard against which I measured all others. But then you start building on this source of inspiration - I wanted it in solid wood rather than plywood, and that simple desire led us down a completely different path. The final design bears little resemblance to Morrison's piece, yet it was born from that initial connection.
This is how we work: we combine technical understanding with emotional memory. Research informs our decisions, but so does the way an object makes us feel, the associations it carries.
I find myself changed by this work. Now when I sit down for a meal, I notice the weight of the cutlery, the curve of a glass, the proportion of a plate. It makes life richer.
The Collection: Aires Mateus' Design Portfolio
Aires Mateus' longest-standing design collaboration is with Portuguese-based furniture manufacturer De La Espada. The relationship has yielded multiple pieces, including the minimal and elegant Bed One, which features a headboard of five Douglas Fir planks, carefully arranged so the wood grain flows uninterrupted from top to bottom.
For renowned Portuguese cutlery manufacturer Cutipol, Aires Mateus designed a minimalist knife that challenges conventions about weight and form.
"We were interested in designing something lighter than usual," Aires Mateus notes. "Working with stainless steel doesn't mean pieces must be heavy. Through this collaboration, we learned so much about industrial production and the incredible precision needed for objects we use daily. Cutipol even built the tools they use to make cutlery, which is incredible."
The knife’s distinctive profile emerged after extensive prototyping, with two initial design concepts proving difficult to execute given Cutipol's precise manufacturing systems - a valuable learning experience that shaped the third, final design.
Created for the renovation of Lisbon's iconic Bica do Sapato restaurant, the Bica dining table represents Aires Mateus' interpretation of vernacular Portuguese tavern furniture. The architect conceived this table as "the lightest possible design—a single line of drawing."
The table features a strong metal structure wrapped in a thin solid wood edge, with a top veneered in either wood or stone. This subtle redesign of a traditional form exemplifies Aires Mateus' ability to distill familiar objects to their essence while maintaining their cultural resonance.
Aires Mateus' collaboration with Portuguese woodworking company Fuschini resulted in the Elia table, a piece that celebrates the manufacturer's technical expertise. "I was fascinated by their woodworking technology," the architect explains. "I needed a table that could also function as a bench, and their capabilities allowed us to explore this dual functionality."
The table's clean lines and carefully considered proportions reflect Aires Mateus' architectural approach to furniture design, while its construction showcases Fuschini's craftsmanship and technical innovation in working with wood.
Their furniture always has a male or female name (depending on the piece). As the Portuguese word for table is feminine, Manuel chose to name it after the young architect who was involved in the design: Elia.
Aires Mateus' collaboration with Mor Design began with specific needs for architectural projects but evolved into a collection of versatile pieces. The collection includes the ‘Pedra Side Table.’ Designed to transition between indoor and outdoor spaces, this table was originally conceived for an apartment with a living room extending into a terrace.
It also includes the ‘Pedra Plate.’ First designed as a ventilated soap dish for a hotel project, this versatile plate evolved into a multipurpose design suitable for fruits and other items.
"These pieces began as solutions to specific problems," Aires Mateus explains. "The best designs often emerge from necessity rather than abstract exercises."
When celebrated Portuguese silverware manufacturer Topázio approached Aires Mateus to create a commemorative piece for their 150-year anniversary, the result was the Jarra (vase) collection—a sculptural series that honors the company's metalworking heritage while introducing contemporary forms.
The collection's simple geometries and carefully balanced proportions reflect Aires Mateus' architectural sensibility, while the expert craftsmanship demonstrates Topázio's 150-year tradition of excellence in metalwork.
For historic Portuguese tile manufacturer Viúva Lamego, Aires Mateus created a collection of stoneware tiles with subtle dimensional variations that create rich visual and tactile experiences. "We designed a tile collection with shapes that are slightly different and timeless," the architect explains.
The collection features special colors developed specifically for swimming pool applications, demonstrating Aires Mateus' consideration of both aesthetic and functional requirements. These tiles have become a signature element in many of the architect's projects, creating continuity between his architectural work and product design.
