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Conversations
On the heels of Orpheu, their first collection designed for Beni, we asked Olivier Garcé and Clio Dimofski what pulls at their heartstrings and what drives them to lead such creative lives. Their answers are as satisfying as a Pastel de Nata.
Date
February 19th, 2025
Author
Beni
Photography
Inês Silva Sá
From the poetic perspective of Fernando Pessoa to the aesthetic vernacular of Portuguese architecture, Orpheu paints a Fauvist vision of imagination and reality through the eyes of Olivier Garcé and Clio Dimofski. Earlier this month, we asked them to share some liner notes from the collection's conception from ideas that were born from dreams to what artists they turn to for inspiration.
An old postcard from Mosteiro dos Jerónimos and an illustration of the poet Fernando Pessoa.
"One line in particular, 'to feel everything in every way, to hold all opinions, to be sincere in contradictions,' resonates in our work," says says Olivier Garcé on the influence of poet Fernando Pessoa.
BENI
The poet Fernando Pessoa is a central character in the Orpheu collection — what is your connection to him and his way of seeing the world?
GD
Pessoa’s exploration of multiple perspectives and his layered sense of self might echo how we, as an architect and designer, bring together diverse influences, to shape something both personal and universal. One line in particular, “To feel everything in every way, to hold all opinions, to be sincere in contradictions,” resonates in our work. Architecture and ceramics are inherently multifaceted; they balance functionality with artistry, history with innovation. In a way, our creative process may mirror Pessoa's heteronyms—different facets of one mind expressing unique yet interconnected visions.
Ondine, Clio's favorite style from the collection, sports a gently waving border of vibrant red wool — a kissing cousin to the tides of the Tagus River.
"...above all, it is the light that holds us most—the way it shifts throughout the day, reflecting off the tiled facades and casting ever-changing shadows..." explains Clio Dimofski.
BENI
The great Leonardo da Vinci said that painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and that poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen. How would you describe interior design?
GD
Interior design, much like Leonardo da Vinci’s vision, is a poetry of space—felt through balance and seen through simplicity. It is a discipline where symmetry and proportion create harmony, allowing volumes to speak for themselves. Just as da Vinci sought clarity in his works, we believe that true beauty in design emerges when forms are left to express their essence, unburdened by excess.
BENI
The beauty of Portugal is so palpably articulated with Orpheu through the expressions of nature and traditional architecture. What are some corners of Lisbon that have had a strong hold on both of your hearts since building your home and studio there?
GD
Lisbon has a unique beauty that deeply resonates with us, especially through its historical landmarks like the convents in Graça and the majestic Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, where history and craftsmanship intertwine. The city's connection to the Tagus River adds a sense of openness and fluidity, constantly shaping its atmosphere. But above all, it is the light that holds us most—the way it shifts throughout the day, reflecting off the tiled facades and casting ever-changing shadows, giving the city an almost poetic presence.
Echo, Olivier's favorite style from the collection, combines both knotted and flatwoven wool, a construction so complex that it calls for the hands of our master weavers.
One of the 17 historic monuments of ancient Kyoto: Kinkaku-ji, a Buddhist temple.
BENI
You said once in an interview that Lisbon felt like Italy twenty years ago. In that spirit of traveling through different eras of atmosphere, where else would you want to exist at any point in time?
GD
We’d love to experience Milan in the early 20th century, when design and craftsmanship embraced modernity, or 18th-century Kyoto, where simplicity and nature shaped architecture. And of course, Renaissance Florence, where art and design merged in a way that still inspires us today. Each era holds a purity in creation that resonates deeply.
BENI
From the showroom in Arroios to your interior projects, we’ve always admired how you translate the imaginative into the practical. Has an idea ever come to you in a dream?
GD
No idea has come to us this way that we can recall with clarity, but this question of imagination and practicality brings us back to the beauty of craf. You can take an informal idea and, through collaboration with craftsmen, shape it into something truly unique. It’s an ongoing, limitless process where imagination and material come together in unexpected ways. That in itself is a fantastical process.
Inside the beautiful Igreja de Santa Maria de Belém built in the 16th century.
BENI
Before we let you go, we're always curious to know what people are listening to. What's a record or artist that you turn to for contentment?
GD
For Clio it's Serge Gainsbourg. Anything by Hans Zimmer for Olivier.
BENI
And an artist, past or present, of any discipline that you admire?
GD
Olivier loves Lucie Rie, a British studio potter with lasting influence. She's known best for her distinctive 20th-century modernist style.
Clio is especially drawn to Oscar Niemeyer, the modernist Brazilian architect who believed that buildings should seek to find harmony with nature.
Oscarn Niemeyer at Itamaraty Palace photographed by Slim Slim Aarons.