The creative scene in Portugal is evolving super-fast because so many people are moving here French designer Olivier Garcé New pieces by their growing stable of collaborators include those by Kim, Parisian multi-hyphenate Garance Vallée and London-based Charlotte Taylor.

The Swedish Grace period – the country’s elegant and romantic take on 1920s neoclassicism – is a particular point of interest, as is the “primitive modernism” of Swedish architect Axel Einar Hjorth. It’s a classical but cool backdrop for “the interesting mix of contemporary design, local craftsmanship and vintage pieces: some French, some Nordic”, says Garcé. “It’s much more exciting to produce work specific to this site than putting it in a white cube.”Īt this new HQ, soaring ceilings and elegant mouldings are combined with stripped wooden floors, off-white walls and dynamic accents. The space is also a gallery for the couple’s burgeoning multidisciplinary studio, Garcé & Dimofski, which is part interior design firm, part purveyor of design furniture. “Last time I was here, their place was in construction, but now the apartment is amazing,” says Kim.

Their houseguest is Minjae Kim, the Seoul-born, New York-based creative with whom they have been collaborating for the past three years. The 19th-century townhouse, built in the classical Pombaline style with arched doorways, scrolling ironwork and all-over azulejos (Portugal’s famous, florid tiles), is the home of French designer-duo Olivier Garcé and Clio Dimofski. Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.īehind a bright turquoise façade in Arroios, Lisbon, three designers are putting the finishing touches to a new collection of furniture.

Vintage plaster coffee table