We search for materials that are authentic, natural, local and sustainable, that have stories to tell that guide us.
We collect patterns from our Algarve heritage that inspire us and inspire us to share.
We design every piece with a function to enrich the daily life with beauty and utility.
In 2016 we founded our workshop in the Algarve to explore sustainable materials and techniques. Every detail of our designs is a tribute to the rural heritage that surrounds us, and every piece we make is our way of sharing it.
We are Sofia and Chris and we have lived with our children near Loule, Portugal area since 2013. We originally met in New York where we studied architecture and raised our family for 10 years. Every summer, when we returned to Portugal to visit Sofia’s family in the Algarve, we nourished our relationship with the countryside and found many cultural and gastronomic references to take back home to New York.
In 2016, having already lived in the Algarve for almost 3 years, we launched Oficina Poeta Azul to pay homage to the rural Algarve. We intersect Chris’ love for digital production techniques and Sofia’s urban design strategies with our common interest in sustainable local making. With contrasting styles but a common design language formed as students at Columbia University in New York, we form a team that takes exhaustively researches materials and prototypes designs.
Chris develops and refines procedures of manual and digital production for each of our projects. Sofia searches to link urban living, rural heritage and the challenges of the region where we live with the textures and poetry that surround us.
We are always looking for opportunities to develop collaborations with other local makers, with so much admiration for their talent and drive.
We would like to extend our special thanks for the following contributions to our site:
To Esmeralda Gonçalves for the editing of the Portuguese version of our texts;
To Chris Csendes for the photograph of the stacked laser cut cards;
To João Correia for the photograph of Sofia’s grandmother, Maria do Carmo;
To ceramist José Matos fot the photograph of the blocks of clay;
To Linne Melinkat for the photo of the trivet in our menu;
To Lúcia Durão for the photograph of the stamps in our menu;
To Lydia Lee for the family portrait taken in 2013;
To Mariana Bruno de Sousa for the photograph of the bookmarks in our menu;
To Francisco Whitelaw for the origami;
To Museu do Traje in São Brás de Alportel for letting us photograph your cork;
To Natália Correia for the antique dishes;
To Tó Cabrita and Michele Guerreiro for the vintage school letters;
To Avó Maria do Carmo for providing the space to incubate our workshop.
We would also like to thank Loule Creative for hosting our launch in September of 2016; the Loule Design Lab for all of the publicity and synergy during our 3 year residence; Eliset Montes for the help with book binding; Tatiana Cravafor for the French translations on our packaging; our colleagues at Colectivo 28 for your entrepreneurial spirit; and all our other colleagues, craftspeople, designers, shopkeepers, event organizers, customers and friends for your kindness and motivation.
In loving memory of Avó Maria do Carmo.
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