Associative Design Puts Portuguese Craftsmanship On Display At Expo

Portuguese Association of Wood and Furniture Industries (AIMMP), Associative Design - The Best of Portugal proudly presents the art behind Portuguese furniture at the Portuguese Pavilion in Expo 2020

Dubai - 07 December 2021: Portuguese Association of Wood and Furniture (AIMMP), Associative Design – The Best of Portugal is present at the Dubai Design District (D3) where they showed off a contemporary conceptual Portuguese home to give their visitors a glimpse into the flair and refinement of the modern Portuguese design scene. They have now also made an appearance at the Portuguese Pavilion at Expo 2020. 

At D3, they display an eclectic array of furniture and home décor brands with the goal of showing the world what made Portuguese furniture unique and how they made furniture with quality while keeping sustainability in mind. 

Vitor Poças, the President of AIMMP said “The most important secret of our (Portugal’s) success is our investment in design and international promotion. Our goal is to expand the scope of AIMMP’s presence in Dubai. Our sole purpose is not just on furniture brands., we wish to show the history, the process, and the future that we have planned for AIMMP and Portuguese furniture.” 

At the very entrance of the Portuguese pavilion, visitors get a view of the wood workers and artists in their element doing some of the most intricate and precise design work in the world. In fact, on regular days visitors can lounge on one of the many bean bags laid around the artists and just watch them work for as long as you please. 

The first of the three artists were a wood worker who would carefully carve gorgeous, labyrinthine patterns onto wood which would then be used in other craft work. The second was a furniture maker would assemble various pieces to make things like bed frames and jewelry boxes. The parts for this furniture were sourced from all over the world, from places like South America and Italy. There was also a painter who was delicately hand painting flowers on dishes with great precision. 

The three of them gave visitors a glimpse into intrinsic art and magic behind the work that AIMMP was putting on display. Mr. Poças said when speaking on the craftspeople, “From when they made the Caravels for Christopher Columbus to the couches and furniture that are made today, there is a lot of craft behind it that goes unappreciated. It is important to valorise these artists and their craft that can never be replaced by technology. This is what makes this country so special.”
Mr. Poças who is always excited to share his love for Portuguese art and culture led visitors into a room where they were shown a marble top dining table with elegant and comfortable seating. The table was the perfect example of the perfect marriage of the forward-thinking innovation and classic Portuguese design elements that had been promised by AIMMP. Mr. Poças was very pleased with the reaction he got from his guests and remarked that they “did not expect Portugal could have such luxury pieces.”

At the design district and the Portugal Pavilion, AIMMP also boasted some innovations that had been made by the brands they were showcasing in achieving sustainability and efficiency by showing off fabric and wallpaper that was made with a mixture of cotton and cork. Cork is one of Portugal’s major exports. By substituting polyester in cotton blends with cork, they have created a material that is just as durable while being clean and biodegradable. Most furniture at display was either recycled or upcycled. In fact, they had furniture made entirely of cork that was made using recycled bottle cork.

The AIMMP, Associative Design - The Best of Portugal was present at the Portuguese Pavilion with the goal of putting Portugal’s best foot forward and showing the world the best that Portugal has to offer. AIMMP will be present at the Portuguese pavilion till 12th of December, and they will be changing the exhibits at the Pavilion every week for as long as they are there.  The Pop-up space in Design District will be open until December 15th.