Cover Story Bordallo Pinheiro
Tropical beauty
From the creative minds of the Bordallo Pinheiro team comes the astonishingly beautiful Tropical Fruits, or Frutos Tropicais to be authentic to its Portuguese roots. We look at this gorgeous new launch which is joined by another Bordallo Pinheiro introduction sure to cause a stir, Cabbage with Lobsters…
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enowned for its finely detailed, intricate collections – Bordallo Pinheiro has amassed fans across the globe for its gorgeously ornate, and cleverly designed, pieces. And they do not disappoint with Tropical Fruits, the latest launch from the acclaimed Portuguese brand. Tropical Fruits celebrates the richness in nature’s finest produce, an ode to what mother earth provides, as well as to what the Bordallo Pinheiro’s team of artisan creators are capable of producing. “As for the design process and the complex production phases,” says Bordallo Pinheiro’s coordinating designer, Francisco Vieira Martins, “the whole process was very challenging, demanding and time-consuming, 28 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL
culminating in an aesthetically and technically very rich line, and of great eclecticism, where manual operations clearly stand out. It exalts tropical naturalism, for this very accuracy, which has always been present since the creation.” Achieving the colours, textures and shapes of each fruit required a process of experimentation based on several complex manual techniques. The final result is a collection comprising 24 pieces – think bowls, plates, salad bowls, platters and boxes – each piece so realistic you are momentarily transported to the most exotic destinations, and through the naturalistic and fantasy origin of Bordallo Pinheiro’s founder Raphael Bordallo Pinheiro’s work. Each piece in the assortment is meticulously hand-