The vibrantly tiled façades of Portugal’s homes are one of the country’s most iconic sights, but those sights are disappearing. Attempting to preserve the tiling legacy before it disappears entirely is Gazete Azulejos.
Once handmade in factories thoroughout Portugal, reduced demand over the years led to closures. The tiled façades that remained have steadily decreased in number due to renovations and modernisation, and some tiles stolen to be sold as souvenirs.
To prevent further loss of tile heritage, Gazete Azulejos has a three step approach. The first step is to create a pattern catalogue. Focusing on the tiles that decorate Porto façades, the project details the techniques used to produce them, where the designs came from, and which factory made them.
The company itself (Gazete Azulejo) is the second step, focusing on replicating hand-painted Portuguese tiles and producing custom murals that celerbate Portuguese tile patterns.
Finally, to ensure the survival of the craft, they offer tile painting workshops that teach the original techniques and the history of Portugal’s tiled facades.
Their online catalogue is full of iconic designs available for purchase for those looking to produce a tiled facade of their own. Amongst the collections also sit tiles create in collaboration with artists – mini unique artworks signed and made to order.
A new post by Hanna Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, November 2021.