Portuguese ceramics fused with Swedish design

Fantastic Frank TERESA LUNDAHL MATEUS COLLECTION

Portuguese ceramics fused with Swedish design

Originally from Portugal, Teresa Lundahl travelled the world and eventually landed in what would become her home for many years to come. Sweden was not just a whim but a whole new world to attach to her Portuguese soul. Over the years, and with a solid background in fashion under her belt, together with a longstanding passion for ceramic goods, she found herself delving into the idea of fusing traditional Portuguese ceramics craftsmanship and Swedish design and contemporary fashion trends to create something that would disrupt and somehow follow the design shifts she was witnessing. 

The first collection was launched in 1993, and the name of the brand was Mateus, a symbol of her Portuguese heritage by using her maiden name ‘Mateus’ . From then on, the Mateus brand evolved and grew, and each new collection is designed to fit together with the products that are already part of existing collections.

When asked about the sheer power in changing the tables of many families around the world, Lundahl doesn’t hesitate: “I’m proud to have contributed to bring joy and beauty to so many homes”.

 

 

FF: Can you elaborate on how you brought your background in fashion and personal sense of style into a ceramics brand?

 

T: The fashion industry has always inspired me. I worked as a model and got a lot of inspiration by travelling to different places. I wanted to bring my fashion knowledge together with Mateus, and my idea has always been that you should set the table according to your style and mood. If you love colour, set the table colourfully. If you love a more minimalistic style, set the table with neutral colours. Mateus is all about creating the table you love with endless combinations of table settings.

 Fantastic Frank TERESA LUNDAHL MATEUS COLLECTION

FF: You look at the art of “table dressing” with your pieces as if it were a recreation of dressing up to go out for dinner. Can you tell us a little bit more about this?

 

T: The idea is that you get dressed for a special dinner or lunch the same way you can dress your table and show your family or friends that they are welcome with the utmost care. Mix and match different pieces and collections to create the table you love.

 

FF: Is there something you would like to share about the Swedish and the Portuguese lifestyles, how are they intertwined, and what differences did you feel (and still feel today) the most?

 Fantastic Frank TERESA LUNDAHL MATEUS COLLECTION

T: For me, the difference between Sweden and Portugal lies in the way people get together. Portugal is all about spontaneity, getting together quickly, lots of going out, eating, drinking and having fun. In Sweden, you don’t get those spontaneous invitations, but you know that when you are invited, your host will think about all the details to make you feel tremendously welcome, to make you think your presence is yearned. It’s all about the details: the food, the drinks and, lucky us at Mateus, how the “table is dressed up”.

 

FF: We are aware of what Mateus is working on and trying to achieve in production transparency and sustainability. Could you share a little bit more about your goals?

 

T: We believe transparency helps our commitment to design sustainable products, which is the only way to a better future. We are committed to the United Nations goal to reduce climate impact by 2030 — we are already focused on this goal. For example, transport is an inevitable part of the Mateus’ business, so we work consistently to make our logistic chain sustainable. Choosing the best logistic partners, who are knowledgeable and dedicated to sustainability themselves, is one of the most important things to ensure our ceramics get to stores. Our factories meet all the high-standard requirements regarding water treatment; broken pieces and excess ceramic are transformed into powder to be reused in construction; the finished ceramics are packed in recycled materials for transport. And we also suggest to our customers that they recycle packing material after receiving our products.

 Fantastic Frank TERESA LUNDAHL MATEUS COLLECTION

FF: Where can Mateus go from here?

 

T: And the next step is carbon labelling by calculating the impact of our products. This information will allow us to know how to work towards more sustainable products and reduce CO2 emissions. This project is a work in progress and will be very soon displayed on our website. Until then, Mateus will keep working hard to bring you the very best in ceramics, along with increasing attention to what we do and how we do it every step of the way.

Fantastic Frank TERESA LUNDAHL MATEUS COLLECTION
 

Share