A new life and shine have been given to the run-down furnishings, through the artist’s dedication and perfectionism – sometimes, more than three full days were dedicated to one sole piece of furniture. He starts by consolidating the item and, after cleaning it, evaluates what are the necessary steps regarding the woodwork and finishing. He usually makes his own wax by mixing bee’s virgin wax, paraffin and carnauba in bain-marie, to which he adds essence of turpentine. The hues of the paints he uses are always a mix of colours.

Through colours and finishing, the goal was to attribute an identity to each apartment. Yellow and grey were chosen for the Oven apartment.

The white furnishings were incorporated into the Orange Tree and Little One apartments and the colour blue was assigned to the Garden apartment.

Special attention was also devoted to the antique furnishings kept in storage, belonging to the Owner Ana Cristina Costa. A full inventory was led at Bombarral and Fontanelas, in order to allow the balanced distribution and insertion of the items within the different apartments.

Recycled Items,
Recovered
and Restored
BEFORE AND AFTER

CLOSET BASE – NEW TV TABLE

ENSEMBLE OF BED SIDE TABLES

SIDEBOARD

EXTENDABLE DINING TABLE

CHAIRS

CUPBOARDS (UPPER CABINETS FOR OPEN KITCHENS)

ANTIQUE SINK

(from left to right, from top to bottom)

In order to adorn some of the items, a figure was developed to symbolise Óbidos and the Women of its History. From the traditional embroidery of Óbidos emerged a stylised figure that was disseminated through the traditional method of decal by the Rugo Tile Factory, at Magoito in Sintra.

Óbidos’ Embroidery was created by Maria Adelaide Ribeirete during the 50s, when she realised that tourists were dazzled by the images on the ceiling of the Church of Santa Maria. She then proceeded to map the different motifs with the help of a mirror laid on the floor. The result was an ensemble of motifs composed by arabesques, birds, the castle of Óbidos and even the village’s name in “full cock’s feet stitching and flower-stem stitching on the fabric’s outline” on linen.

From this figure, the symbol “Places of History” has also emerged. Joana Oliveira, the graphic designer that created the brand’s image has delved into the topic and proposed a logo that would appeal to mystery and surprise, through the use of transparencies and the overlap of the lettering with the logo itself.

Each apartment are unique, because of the difference between the spaces and the accesses but also because of the items that incorporate the units. The colours and fragrances differ from apartment to apartment, the items are restored antiques that have found their way back to a special place after the transformation process.

CATARINA CABRAL