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The story behind each Mateus table setting - unique ceramics where two worlds collide
Teresa Mateus Lundahl and Filippa Burenstam Linder run the ceramics company Mateus, where Swedish design meets Portuguese craftsmanship.
MATEUS - A FAMILY HISTORY
1993 was the year it all started - Teresa Mateus Lundahl launched the first collection of Mateus ceramics inspired by traditional Portuguese craftsmanship, the collection is now sold all over the world. Today Mateus is a successful ceramics company whose strength lies in the driving forces behind the brand, namely the mother and daughter duo Teresa Mateus Lundahl and Filippa Burenstam Linder. The ceramics are produced and painted by hand in a total of four factories in Portugal, one of which has been the same from the very start, factors which all make Mateus unique.
Our greatest strength lies in the fact that everything we do is genuine. We would never do something that does not feel 100% like Mateus. Mateus DNA is our DNA and we are very much intertwined in our view of Mateus, says Filippa, daughter of Teresa.<br>
We had the honour of interviewing Filippa Burenstam Linder where we got an insight into how the company started, what the manufacturing process looks like and how, according to Filippa, you create a welcoming Mateus table setting and what a home to love means.
Mateus offers beautiful handmade crafts where each product is produced with love and care.
SWEDISH DESIGN MEETS PORTUGUESE CRAFTSMANSHIP
Mateus has a unique history and behind every product made in Portugal is genuine craftsmanship. Mateus’s story started when Teresa moved to Sweden and noticed that colours and patterns were beginning to become more popular in Swedish homes, a trend she adopted in her first self-designed ceramic series. In 1993 Teresa’s dream came true and her first collection of Mateus ceramics was launched. Her daughter Filippa says:
The first collection was only one product. A yellow plate. Teresa's idea behind the 1993 collection was to take the colours of the fashion world to the set table.
- From this initial idea, more collections emerged. Today Mateus consists of six collections and around 600 unique products. I started working in the company in 2014 and am behind the Bubbles and Stripes collections” says Filippa.
Add more colours, shapes and patterns in your home with the help of Mateus' beautiful ceramics.
HOW MATEUS IS MADE - FROM RAW MATERIAL TO FINISHED PRODUCT
Something that makes Mateus truly unique is their production process, which still takes place in the same factory in Portugal that they have used since the start in 1993. The time and energy it takes to make each individual product reflects the love that is poured into these handmade designs.
The production of Mateus porcelain demonstrates a high level of craftsmanship and something that Mateus itself calls "human scale manufacturing". Here, experience and skill in human hands meets contemporary design and producing unique products.
To go from raw material to finished product takes five to seven days and is a beautiful journey of traditional craftsmanship where both Filippa and Teresa draw their inspiration from their previous experience. Filippa also says that:
During the pandemic, we have learned to find inspiration in everyday life and everything around us. I have been inspired by vintage design in most areas of my life and I also look closely at my mother’s previous work and ask myself; how can I honour her design with a new expression?
- One of our bestsellers of the late 90s / early 00s were plates with painted patterns. Right now I am looking into how we can bring that back and use two colours on one product, in a modern way, says Filippa.
1. The clay in its original form
2. Then press it to the desired product
3. Excess clay is removed
4. The products spend a day in the "Green House" to dry
5. The plates are then baked in the oven for 12 hours
6. Then painted by hand after firing
7. And after that they are glazed
8. And then another 12 hours in the oven
9. The unique finished products!
CREATE AN INVITING MATEUS TABLE SETTING
Creating an inviting table setting is crucial for your guests to feel welcome, as it is around the dining table that great conversations are had. Mateus ’ ceramics are created to transform your dining table into a gathering place of joy, warmth and colour. Filippa says that:
- I usually start with the atmosphere I want to create, a sober and more elegant table setting gives a calmer atmosphere at the table. If you are craving a party with a slightly livelier feeling, you can mix lots of colours and place the drinks and food on the table. The most important thing to keep in mind is that there are no rules!
Mateus ceramics are suitable for all kinds of occasions, both for parties and everyday
Mateus' Portuguese handicrafts are made by hand and then hand-painted, which makes each Mateus table setting unique in itself.
CERAMICS FOR GENERATIONS
Create a home to love by treating yourself to ceramics from Mateus that are suitable for all moments of life. These are ceramics for generations, ceramics that you can use year after year and they also make the perfect gift to give to loved ones. Filippa says that:
A home to love is a home that has developed over several years and the art of being able to mix things you have received from family with new products.
- It is also okay that it's not perfect; placing drawings that the children have done in preschool all over the refrigerator gives warmth to the home. I think it's so nice to see our products combined with, for example, tableware that comes from your grandmother or something similar” Filippa concludes.
Bubbles was Filippa's first self-designed collection and works perfectly on any table setting.
With a deeper insight into Mateus' unique world, it becomes clear how each handmade and hand-painted product brings warmth and love to you table setting. Mateus is porcelain you can keep for generations, year after year. It is a unique craft with an equally unique history where two worlds collide.
Text: Linnéa Axelson Photography: Angeliqa Daldorph, Mateus Styling: Linnéa Axelson & Angeliqa Daldorph
