Luso Collective at Lisbon Design Week 2025 – Photo by ©irinaboersmamachado. All photos are courtesy of LDW25.

Design, Crafts. While European design capitals like Milan, Paris and Copenhagen may dazzle with established brands and glossy showrooms, Lisbon’s design scene has a different rhythm—quieter, more intimate, and deeply rooted in craftsmanship. Here, design doesn’t shout; it invites you in. And nowhere was that spirit more alive than during Lisbon Design Week 2025, with over 90 locations and more than 250 creatives taking part across the city.

• RELATED STORIES: Discover more Portuguese architecture and design on Archipanic.

KUKUA by Emmanuel Babled at LDW25.

This year’s event, now in its third edition, embraced a refreshingly human scale, offering an open, accessible experience that brought together Lisbon’s vibrant creative community. The focus? Celebrating Portuguese design in all its textured, locally sourced, and slow-crafted beauty.

Spotlight on Craft and Community

Sobre Mesa exhibition by MUT Design and João Xará at Arquivo Aires Mateus – Photo by Sirence Studios.

At the heart of the week was the standout group exhibition Sobre Mesa, co-curated by Spain’s MUT Design and Portugal’s João Xará. Housed in the atmospheric Aires Mateus Archive, the exhibition explored the Iberian tradition of lingering around the table after meals—‘sobre mesa.’ More than 20 designers, both emerging and established, created works that reflected the poetry of shared moments and the design of togetherness.

[su_image_carousel source=”media: 44297,44296″ limit=”0″ slides_style=”minimal” crop=”none” columns=”2″ spacing=”no” captions=”yes” dots=”no” autoplay=”1″ speed=”immediate”]

Meanwhile, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance debuted his Xisto collection at Made in Situ, his Lisbon-based gallery. The French designer, now based in Portugal, looked to the geological soul of the landscape for inspiration, using raw, local materials and traditional know-how to tell a story of time, place, and slowness in design.

KUKUA by Emmanuel Babled at LDW25.

Across town at Prime Matter Gallery, another French powerhouse, Emmanuel Babled, presented Kukua, a collaboration with Tanzanian artisans from the WomenCraft collective. The result was a thoughtful trio of collections blending global dialogue with local impact—proof that design can be both beautiful and empowering.

Sam Baron x Toino Abel at Passa Ao Futuro – Courtesy of LDW25.

Passa Ao Futuro is excited to present the new Toino Abel collection, designed by Sam Baron, at Depozito. This collection evolved from a collaborative residency hosted by Passa Ao Futuro, which aimed to reimagine soft rush basketry. What started as a homeware line blossomed into a fresh perspective on the basket itself—where function meets beauty and tradition is woven into every handmade piece.

Material Encounters and Meaningful Dialogues

[su_image_carousel source=”media: 44293,44294″ limit=”0″ slides_style=”minimal” crop=”none” columns=”2″ spacing=”no” captions=”yes” dots=”no” autoplay=”1″ speed=”immediate”]

At Luso Collective’s exhibition Perspective & Matter in Marvila, the Lisbon-based group returned with a compelling exploration of materiality and perception. Known for their theatrical scenography in last year’s edition, this time the collective dove into the shifting roles of matter in design, posing big questions through beautifully composed answers.

Branca Lisboa at LDW25 – Photo by Sirence Studios.

Branca Lisboa paid tribute to its founder, Marco Sousa Santos, with The Chairman, a retrospective tracing his career through one deceptively simple yet endlessly challenging object: the chair. The exhibition not only honoured his contribution to Portuguese design but also reflected on the evolution of form, comfort, and meaning.

Design Within History’s Walls

AB+AC Architects at LDW25 – Photo by Sirence Studios.

Lisbon’s design week was also about place—about how spaces hold memory and creativity together. Nowhere was this clearer than at Hotel Locke de Santa Joana, a restored 17th-century convent turned cultural hub and hospitality partner for this year’s event. Its exhibition, Locke Rising, featured new works by local talents including AB+AC Architects and Terrakota, blending heritage with a fresh, forward-looking design spirit.

Colectivo 284 at LDW25 – Photo by Sirence Studios.

Nearby, Coletivo 284 hosted a dreamy installation by interior designer Nini Andrade Silva and sculptor João Parrinha of Softrock, who transformed the space into a poetic, stone-strewn beachscape—both real and imagined.

Sustainability in the Spotlight

Roca Lisboa Gallery at LDW2025 – Photo by @nomasstudio.

At Roca Lisboa Gallery, curator Wesley Sacardi brought together 12 Portuguese designers for The Echo of Raw Materials. As its name suggests, the show emphasised sustainability through the creative reuse of recovered materials—an elegant reminder that good design can (and should) tread lightly on the planet.

[su_image_carousel source=”media: 44288,44289″ limit=”0″ slides_style=”minimal” crop=”none” columns=”2″ spacing=”no” captions=”yes” dots=”no” autoplay=”1″ speed=”immediate”]

Hamrei, too, focused on balancing tradition and innovation. Their latest collection explored the dialogue between man and machine, blending sculptural form with sustainable intention. Their work is as rooted in architectural strength as it is in a sensitivity to materials and the environment.

Looking Ahead: Young Voices, New Perspectives

MUDE exhibition LDW 2025 – Photo by Sirence Studios.

This year, Lisbon Design Week deepened its connection with the city’s cultural institutions, including a renewed collaboration with MUDE – Museu Design. The museum hosted a group exhibition of next-generation Portuguese designers, showcasing 20 new works in conversation with their permanent collection. Titled What Are Things For?, the show gave young talent the chance to engage with the past—and reshape its future.

Terrakota at LDW25 – Photo by Sirence Studios.

Lisbon Design Week 2025 wasn’t just an event—it was a celebration of people, places, and processes. From hand-carved objects to experimental installations, the week served as a reminder that great design doesn’t have to be flashy. It just has to be honest, rooted, and thoughtfully made.

Sobre Mesa exhibition by MUT Design and João Xará at Arquivo Aires Mateus – Photo by Sirence Studios.

Photos are courtesy of Lisbon Design Week 2025.

[su_image_carousel source=”media: 44302,44303″ limit=”0″ slides_style=”minimal” crop=”none” columns=”2″ spacing=”no” captions=”yes” dots=”no” autoplay=”1″ speed=”immediate”]

Branca Lisboa at LDW25 – Photo by Sirence Studios.

Colectivo 284 at LDW25 – Photo by Sirence Studios.