MINHO SOL & LUA

MINHO SOL & LUA

Minho, Portugal

In Portugal, history lives on walls. For centuries, glazed ceramic tiles have covered the facades of houses, railway stations, churches and courtyards. Stories and symbols in cobalt blue and white.

They are called azulejos. Some trace the word back to Arabic influences: al-zalij means polished stone. Others think of azul — the Portuguese word for blue.

The ceramic workshop in the Minho

In northern Portugal, in the green river region of the Minho, the hand-painted azulejos you’ll find in our shop are made. Designed by artist Maribel.

Maribel is originally from Cuba. When she came to Portugal, she fell in love with the azulejos that lined the narrow lanes of her new home. And — something others may not have noticed at all — she realised that workshop after workshop was closing. The old craftspeople were getting older, younger creatives were drawn to the cities. And although azulejos enjoy enormous popularity and are considered one of Portugal’s defining symbols, the workshops kept shutting down, one by one.

That realisation moved Maribel to act. Together with her partner, she rented a small shop and set up her studio in one half of it. In her town, she has become something of a local icon — known for her hand-painted Portuguese azulejos.

For Minho Sol & Lua, she designed two collections: clear, graphic motifs in classic cobalt blue on white. Each one painted by hand, brushstroke by brushstroke. In northern Portugal. Where the river Minho meets the Atlantic.