IN THE WORKSHOP WITH

ISABEL COSTA OF

With a passion for recovering world heritage, Portuguese stories and culture, husband and wife, Isabel Costa and João Tomás, came across a derelict factory, Lanífícios Império, while exploring the Serra de Estrela mountains. What had been a former weaving factory, established in 1942 to create the burel (traditional wool fabric) to weave traditional clothing for the shepherds in the surrounding mountains, as well as habits for the local religious order, was found in absolute ruins. Costa and Tomás saw this as an opportunity to create something new from this historical component of Portuguese heritage. At the time, more than 50% of the population was unemployed.

Image courtesy of Burel Wool Factory

Image courtesy of Burel Wool Factory

They wanted to recover traditional mountain products, while creating new jobs. They set to work, rebuilding the factory and restoring the machinery (which dated from the 18th and 19th centuries), launching their new company, Burel Factory, in 2010, and saving this industrial heritage. Fast forward to today and Burel is the largest employer in Manteigas. The company operates three main facets of the business. Each department has its own creative director, with its own team and shop based in Lisbon (there is also a shop in Porto).

Costa has a background in management, and worked in a retail company as a board member for 20 years, so she knows a thing or two about leading a company.

Images courtesy of Burel Wool Factory

I visited with Isabel Costa during a visit to the Burel Factory in Manteigas, while staying at the lovely wonderful Casa de São Lourenço. Along with answering my many questions, she walked me through the factory, explaining the process of weaving burel, from raw wool to finished fabric. Read the interview below.

Burel Architecture – This department produces a variety of beautiful and ingenious acoustic solutions, including screens, panels and the simple curtain which, I was told, absorbs 95-100% of noise. They play with modern-day versions of tangrams (the old Chinese puzzles), using simple geometric shapes to form a variety of fun and functional panels on walls. The possibilities are endless. 1 2 Burel Fabrics – The burel wool fabric is woven on antique looms in 4 different densities for use in residential and commercial applications, as well as for the fashion industry.

Image courtesy of Burel Wool Factory

Burel Fabrics – The burel wool fabric is woven on antique looms in 4 different densities for use in residential and commercial applications, as well as for the fashion industry. 3

3D Stitches – With 20 stitch designs in burel wool in a spectrum of more than 80 colors, the 3-dimensional fabric is finished by hand and is customized for use as wallcovering, as well as used as cushion covers, rugs, furniture and home décor.

Image courtesy of Burel Wool Factory Image courtesy of Burel Wool Factory

Image courtesy of Burel Wool Factory

Burel also runs two boutique hotels in the mountains above Manteigas, at an altitude of 1500 meters and 1250 meters, respectively. They are surrounded by hiking trails, beautiful mountain views and generously infused with a sense of peace, quiet and, of course, an abundance of burel wool.

Opened in 2006 in a converted sanatorium at the top of the mountain. The design is reminiscent of a mid-century ski chalet. It is abundant in warm wood, punctuated by the bold hues of many Burel pieces, including blankets, pillows, rugs, draperies and furnishings.

This design hotel was opened in 2018, converted and restored from a pousada (historic building). It exudes calm and understated luxury, with a simple Scandinavian vibe, in a subdued color palette. Walls, ceilings and headboards are upholstered in burel. Room numbers are stitched directly onto the wool walls. In the dining room, there are thousands of small stars cut from wool, suspended from the ceiling (there is a story in these mountains about the estrela, or star, signifying Christ’s birth). What a brilliantly effective and beautiful acoustic solution!

Casa das Penhas Douradas

Burel Expecdition Hotel

Casa de São Lourenço

Burel Panorama Hotel

Burel’s Hotels in Manteigas

Casa de São Lourenço

Website: casadesaolourenco.pt

Casa das Penhas Douradas

Website: casadaspenhasdouradas.pt

I love the brand. I love how you have taken something that is an old art form, a part of Portugal’s history, and you have brought it into the present and made it modern.

Yes, we try to do that. We maintain some historic patterns from the region, but we are always creating new ones as well.

It is really interesting that some of the historic patterns look so contemporary and retain a relevance to modern day design.

Yes, in Portugal we have quite a bit of these kinds of examples in both patterns and handicrafts. We incorporate influences from the past but we are completely contemporary.

What inspires your work and your design, other than trends? We are inspired by the natural environment and by the past. It encapsulates the brand… handmade, steeped in nature and the mountains. We always try to maintain a concept that is simple and natural. When you began building your company in 2010, how long did it take for you to be up and running, producing the burel?

We are inspired by the natural environment and by the past. It encapsulates the brand… handmade, steeped in nature and the mountains. We always try to maintain a concept that is simple and natural. When you began building your company in 2010, how long did it take for you to be up and running, producing the burel?

We had shops opened within 18 months. It took us 8 to 9 months to rebuild the physical structure, since it was completely destroyed, and to install all the machines and get them working again.

Yes, the most important thing was that we had access to people who were alive, who were able to teach us how to operate the machines. You can have machines but, without the knowledge, which is most important, it would be impossible to start this company.

Are your dyes natural or synthetic? We use both. The former factory only created burel in the natural colors of the sheep wool. We introduced color when we started our company and typically use synthetic dyes from Germany and Switzerland that have environmental certification. In the future we intend to use more and more natural dyes, from plants and flowers. Do you recycle? Yes, we recycle 100%. We save all waste, then we destroy the waste material and begin creating the fiber again. This results in burel that has a heathered look.

What’s your primary role? Do you and your husband have different roles?

I work in the industry and João works more in hotels. We also have one other recently acquired factory one hour away.

Outside of Portugal, who is your biggest client? For Architecture products our largest clients are the Nordic countries. For fashion and garments, our main clients are in UK. And for home decoration, European countries are the primary clients, particularly Germany, France, Switzerland and Scandinavia. For online shopping our biggest client is the USA.