Outside Mircea Anghel’s studio on a rural estate in Portugal’s Alentejo, a profusion of materials and ongoing projects glint in the sun: blinding marble stones sourced from nearby Estremoz to become the pillars of his gravity-defying tables; a construction in wood bricks awaiting the next phase in the experiment; a huge dead tree twisting and arching at the perfect angle to lead visitors through the studio door.
‘I saw the tree down in the fields and decided to bring it here. It’s standing exactly the way it fell from the lorry. Now the challenge for me is resisting the temptation to do something with it, and simply letting it rot on our doorstep,’ Anghel says.
The Romanian designer moved to Lisbon in 2000 with his parents, aged 14. A graduate in economics from the University of Lisbon, he was top of the class in mathematics and found a corporate job in finance. His passion for design and carpentry flourished around that time, when he was looking into adding a room to his parents-in-law’s small holiday home in Comporta – a protected seaside area where new construction is forbidden. The experience of sleeping on a boat while on holiday in Morocco sparked the idea of building a suite inside a boat brought ashore. After the municipality approved his plan, Anghel visited the sawmill at Herdade da Barrosinha, close to Comporta, that would later become his studio. There he met Hélder ‘Calminhas’ Mateus, one of the few remaining traditional master boat builders in Portugal, who helped him with the project and showed him the ropes of woodworking.
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Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av Wallpaper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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POLE POSITION
A compact Melbourne house with a small footprint is big on efficiency and experimentation
URBAN OASIS
At an art-filled Mexico City residence, New York designer Giancarlo Valle has put his own spin on the country's traditional craft heritage
WARM FRONT
Designer Clive Lonstein elevates his carefully curated Manhattan home with rich textures and fabrics
BALCONY SCENE
A Brazilian island hotel offers a unique approach to the alfresco experience
ENSEMBLE CAST
How architect Anne Holtrop is leaving his mark on the Middle East
Survival mode
A new show looks at preparing for a post-apocalyptic landscape (and other catastrophes)
FLASK FORCE
A limited-edition perfume collaboration between two Spanish craft masters says it with flowers
BLOOM SERVICE
A flower-shaped brutalist beauty in Geneva gets a refresh
SECOND NATURE
A remodelled museum in Lisbon, by Kengo Kuma & Associates, meshes Japanese and Portuguese influences to create a space that sits in harmony with its surroundings
Guiding light
Designer Joe Armitage follows his grandfather's footsteps in India, reissuing his elegant midcentury lamp and creating a new chandelier for Nilufar Gallery