From my kitchen to the world’s streets.
What can I do? Discover tendencies, combine colours, textures, decorations, create collections adequate to my clients and suggest them new creative paths.
Life has already taught me a lot. From the world and from different lives.
Today, I know that the average American dish should have 28 centimetres of diameter while the European should be only 26 cm. That Swedish butter packages aren’t the same size as the French ones. That in Israel they enjoy American tendencies and that Americans love the charm as well as the French refinement. From Italy the history, Armani and Amalfi, «pastas »and « pestos », the famous pasta and cheese sets -guaranteed selling items…
That in Sweden the most appreciated colours are the white, the blue and the yellow of their national flag. In Norway besides Santa Claus they also have Mother Christmas and the whole family. They usually buy lots of lamps and lights because they lack natural light and as far as I was told they don’t pay for their electricity. Germans enjoy pastel colours, roses, greens. They can’t stand delays and we don’t get invited easily. The French, the famous and many «taupes», Paris – the city of romantics, of fashion and of the croissant- from Piaf to Ferré, from the «kir» to the aperitif taken in a restaurant, outside, during winter time. Spain lives the strong colours, the monarchy, the Civil war, Prado Museum, Sevillian dresses, bullfights and Almodovar.100% nationalists. The Italians of the red Ferrari and olive greens (have you ever noticed that wherever you are, there’s always an Italian travelling around?). They enjoy everything which is elegant and neat.Yellows, a lot, in Latin America, from Frida to Tango, from the Mayas to the Land of Fire.
What about us? White and blue,from the ocean, the tiles, the Alentejo houses. We only use white or decorated china at home. Our flag has got green, from our mountains, Gerês, Bussaco; yellow from our traditional sweets, from our jewelry, from the sun and the light. Sagres, Zambujeira do Mar,the Jerónimos, the tower of Coimbra’s University and Aveiro’s ria, the Douro river and its Foz, Moledo and Caminha.
We enjoy browns, honey and sand. Imported woods from Brasil and Africa.
The shades of our cultivated soils. India’s spices.The vastness of the sand in our coast. We like black. It is elegant, international, it is fado with a shawl, it’s capa e batina , from Amália to Marisa.
Brasil has given us the colour of the culture’s multiplication, its music. April’s carnation has left us the red of passion.
Everyone enjoys colour. The difference lies only in the way we choose to mix colours and it’s fascinating how they can all be mingled together.
I’ve recently changed my kitchen. I chose to put on the walls square coloured tiles of 8*8 cms of my ancient factory «Cerarpa». When handling them to the man responsible for the work, I told him to put them at random, without really worry about the colour combination. Each morning, while waiting for my coffee to be done, I’m surprised to discover one more successful colour combination!
As one client once told me:«everything which is made with passion, has got a future ahead» and passion is still around...
