Long renowned for its architects, Portugal is now making its mark on the design scene. This revival is rooted in a strong artisanal and industrial heritage, while breaking free to offer pieces that showcase demanding craftsmanship and are firmly anchored in a resolutely contemporary vision. Wood, cork, and ceramics: these iconic materials are becoming the playground of a generation of designers who are shaping objects in tune with their times.
Portuguese design continues to forge ahead with elegance and determination. In 2024, the specialized design sector generated more than €545 million in revenue*, while total exports of goods reached a record €79.3 billion**. This growth reflects a level of expertise that is increasingly recognized internationally.
From Lisbon to Porto, Portuguese brands are gaining visibility. They are establishing a lasting presence on the world's major design stages: Maison & Objet in Paris, Salone del Mobile in Milan and ICFF in New York. This presence is accompanied by a new generation of bold, globally-minded designers. Toni Grilo and Marco Sousa Santos are emblematic figures: rooted in Portuguese culture, but open to innovation and international collaboration.
This dynamic is built on a solid foundation: a tradition of craftsmanship, attention to detail, and an aesthetic rooted in the country's identity. Portuguese design does not copy, it reinterprets. It draws on its origins to create objects that have meaning, depth, and history. Pieces that, like Portugal itself, combine simplicity, refinement, and warmth.
Here is the list of the Top 12 Portuguese Designers to Follow in 2025:
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Toni Grilo
French-Portuguese designer born in Nancy in 1979. After graduating from the École Boulle in Paris in 2001, he immediately moved to Lisbon, attracted by Portugal's rich craftsmanship and industrial heritage.
Based near Porto, he founded his own studio in 2008 and has collaborated with brands such as Roche Bobois, Riluc, and Topázio. His designs blend craftsmanship and modernity, showcasing Portuguese materials and expertise through a contemporary aesthetics.
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Marco Sousa Santos
Portuguese designer based in Lisbon. Founder of the Branca Lisboa label, he combines local craftsmanship with contemporary design. His minimalist style showcases Portuguese materials and his creations are recognized internationally.
His work is distinguished by a search for the essence of forms, a particular attention to local materials such as cork, and a minimalist aesthetic. His creations, such as the Alma chair and the Metamax table, reflect a quest for balance between functionality and timelessness.
His works have been exhibited in prestigious institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the MoMA Store in New York, confirming his place on the international design scene.
3. Filipe Alarcão
Portuguese designer born in Lisbon, who graduated from the Lisbon Faculty of Fine Arts and holds a master's degree in industrial design from the Domus Academy in Milan.
He began his career working with Michele De Lucchi, notably as a consultant for Olivetti. Back in Lisbon, he founded his own studio and collaborated with numerous Portuguese and international brands, such as Vista Alegre, Temahome, Schréder, Larus, and Amorim.
He stands out for his refined designs that blend traditional Portuguese craftsmanship with contemporary innovation. His work encompasses furniture, lighting, ceramics, and public space design. At the same time, he teaches design at ESAD.CR and his works feature in collections such as the MUDE in Lisbon.
4. Joana Astolfi
Portuguese architect, artist, and designer born in Cascais to a Brazilian architect father and a Portuguese gallery owner mother. Trained in architecture at the University of Wales in Cardiff, she enriched her career with experiences in Munich, London, Venice, and Los Angeles, notably at Benetton's Fabrica creative research center in Treviso.
In 2009, she founded Studio Astolfi in Lisbon, a multidisciplinary space bringing together around 20 collaborators, including architects, designers, artisans, and artists. The studio is known for its narrative approach to design, combining space rehabilitation, art installations, scenography, and window displays.
Astolfi draws inspiration from old and imperfect objects, which she collects at flea markets and vintage shops. This sensibility is reflected in her collaborations with brands such as Hermès, for whom she has been designing window displays for over ten years, as well as Claus Porto, L'Oréal, José Avillez, and De La Espada.
5. Pedro Sousa
Portuguese designer born in 1976, with a degree in industrial design from ESAD in Matosinhos and a stint at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. From the beginning of his career, he has been interested in preserving traditional craftsmanship, collaborating with companies that combine mass production and artisanal techniques.
In 2005, he co-founded the Boca do Lobo brand, where he headed the design department until 2009, developing iconic collections such as “Soho,” “Coolors,” and “Limited Edition.”
In 2009, he set up his own studio in Matosinhos, Pedro Sousa Design Studio, where he develops a variety of projects, ranging from jewelry to ceramics, furniture, and installations. He collaborates with international brands such as SAAL Design, Ginger & Jagger, Bow & Arrow, and ByeEdition.
In 2019, he co-founded FEIT Design in Lisbon with Julie Cambier. The brand stands out for its creation of furniture made from solid wood and natural materials, combining contemporary design and local craftsmanship. FEIT reflects Sousa's commitment to sustainable and timeless pieces rooted in Portuguese tradition.
6. Alexandre Calvário
Portuguese industrial designer who graduated in 2012 and has specialized in high-end and luxury furniture design for over eight years. He is the co-founder of Morno, a Porto-based studio that stands out for its artisanal approach to design, highlighting pieces with clean lines and meticulous craftsmanship. Morno embodies a contemporary aesthetic rooted in Portuguese tradition, valuing natural materials and refined finishes.
In addition to Morno, Calvário has collaborated with various brands and workshops, exploring projects ranging from furniture to interior design, always with a keen eye for detail and quality craftsmanship. His work reflects a desire to create sustainable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing objects that are in harmony with Portuguese cultural identity.
7. José Filipe Tavares
Portuguese designer born in 1986 in Alcácer do Sal, trained at the Instituto Politécnico da Guarda. He began his career collaborating with several iconic Portuguese design brands such as Boca do Lobo, Delightfull, and Ginger & Jagger, where he held positions as designer, creative director, and production manager.
In 2019, he founded his own studio in Porto, where he develops furniture, lighting, and interior design projects. His approach is deeply rooted in the appreciation of raw materials, craftsmanship, and timeless design, influenced by brutalist aesthetics. He also offers 3D visualization and art direction services, constantly seeking harmony between function, emotion, and Portuguese cultural identity.
8. Álvaro Siza Vieira
Born in 1933 in Matosinhos, he is one of Portugal's greatest contemporary architects. Winner of the Pritzker Prize in 1992, he is renowned for his minimalist and poetic approach, which combines modernism and sensitivity to context, notably through iconic projects such as the swimming pools in Leça da Palmeira and the renovation of the Chiado district in Lisbon.
While his architectural work is internationally acclaimed, Siza has also made a name for himself in object design. He has collaborated with several brands and institutions to design furniture and everyday objects, always with the same formal rigor and a deep sense of balance. His work in this field, often carried out in conjunction with his architectural projects, reflects his desire to unite form and function, without ever losing sight of the human element.
9. Martinho Pita
Lisbon-based Portuguese designer with a background in architecture and a deep passion for craftsmanship.
After working with renowned studios like MVRDV and Aires Mateus, and contributing to international urban projects in India, Sweden, and beyond, he returned to Portugal to found Martinho Pita Studio.
His work blends interior design, product development, and architecture, in close collaboration with local artisans. Rooted in tradition and driven by innovation, the studio creates soulful, poetic objects at the intersection of art and design.
10. João Gameiro - Studio Gameiro
After completing Bachelor in Architecture in Lisbon and finalising his Diploma in Architecture in the UK, João joined the young and entrepreneurial architecture practice Atelier Chan Chan, a few years later the award-winning international architecture practice Skidmore Owings and Merrill (SOM) and later on Lipton Plant Architects.
From May 2017 João has been spending most of his time in Lisbon, working on a few solo architecture projects and collaborating with designers and other talented professionals and highly focused on the local and quality craftsmanship. Throughout his academic as well as professional career, João has always been in touch with the architectural academia and research. He has collaborated with UCL, Mayor of London, M.L.A.U.S, among others.
In July 2018 João founded Studio Gameiro,
an innovative, multidisciplinary and design-focused agency that specialises in exploring relationships between traditional artisanship, sustainable design and bespoke solutions for interiors, lighting design, furniture design and architecture.
11. De la Espada
Founded in 1993 by Fatima De La Espada and Luis De Oliveira, partners in both life and work, De La Espada has evolved over three decades from a small workshop into a globally recognised furniture brand, chosen for some of the most ambitious architectural projects worldwide. We combine artisanal furniture making savoir faire with rigorous, research-based contemporary design. Each product is made at our solar-powered production facility on Portugal’s Silver Coast, where we specialise in generations-old woodworking traditions and upholstery.
Our workshop in Mira, Portugal is unique in the industry: a centre of creativity where craftspeople, designers, and product engineers work closely together, exchanging expertise and solving design challenges in real time. Here, our team of 100 people build to order some of the finest contemporary furniture possible, combining advanced technology with handcraft and employing time-tested construction methods.
12. Diogo Amaro
He is an architect and cabinetmaker based in Porto, Portugal.
After a few years of working in architecture, he spent two years learning with the master cabinetmakers from FRESS, absorbing all the knowledge they had to transmit. It was a really enriching time, where he was able to experiment and explore the relation between design and making. The result of this experimentation is the Chicago series.
Currently he designs and makes bespoke furniture pieces, and takes commissions for custom-made furniture.
*Datas by IBIS World
**Datas by AICEP
Photography 1 : Joana Astolfi studio
Photography 2 : Toni Grilo for Roche Bobois
All others photographs, courtesy of the designers