soap story

IF YOU ’ RE IN SEARCH OF A BUNCH OF THE BEST, YOU SHOULD LOOK AT THE WORK OF ILONA MATIKO, AN ALGARVE-BASED ARTISAN WHO SCULPTS WONDEROUS PIECES FROM A SURPRISING MATERIAL

Words: REBECCA MOODY

WHEN YOU think of art, you’ll no doubt think of paintbrushes, watercolours, pottery or other such things. Soap, however, would be one of the last things you’d expect to find an artist working with. Time to meet Ilona, and her bouquet of sculpted flowers.

For the past few years, Ilona Matiko has been crafting the most exquisite blooms out of soap. And, just like many of the best artists, she still struggles to comprehend how beautiful her creations are – and how talented she really is!

Surprisingly, her journey into soap making is quite a simple one. As a creative who enjoys exploring different DIY projects, she’d stumbled upon a video on how to make soap, which both intrigued and excited her… and prompted her to order 2kg of soap. When it arrived it took no time for her to start molding it into small heart shapes. “Something just clicked,” she explains.

Thrilled with the results, she started experimenting with different colours, adding sparkles and trying out various scents.

Blossoming out

Soon, she was delving deeper into the art of soap making. And she discovered a plethora of YouTube channels on how to make show-stopping soap flowers. The rest, they say, is history – and what had once been an experiment and a fun pastime became an obsession and, eventually, a business.

Ilona ordered 100kg of soap and a number of molds and fed her newfound passion, each day inspired to do more, to create more, to learn from each piece she fashioned.

She started to share her creations with friends and colleagues, gifting everything to them, and they, understandably, loved what she was producing.

It took no time at all before people –having seen one of her pieces – began enquiring how and where they could find one to purchase, little knowing what material she was working with. When they discovered that the bouquets and flower arrangements were crafted entirely from soap, they were astonished.

Ilona explains: “Their reactions puzzled me at first, as I failed to recognise the uniqueness of my creations, but I learned fast to appreciate their comments. I can honestly say that Portugal allowed me to feed what had become my passion.”

Why here?

Born in Ukraine, Ilona had worked for nine years in London as the duty manager of a hotel before she recently relocated to the Algarve, and Portimão. She said she had always dreamed of living by the sea. “Perhaps the universe granted me my wish because it sent me a Portuguese boyfriend,” she laughs.

Luckily, and minus the often headacheinducing bureaucracy here, Ilona is fascinated with her new life.

As we residents – some of us for many a decade now – know, our world here is less stressful than it would be in a big city, but it was not only that which appealed to Ilona; it was also an appreciation of the strong family values held by the Portuguese themselves, which remind her of Ukraine.

Moving here has also allowed her to dedicate her time to her soap-making hobby while learning Portuguese. At present, her kitchen is her workshop, but that hasn’t dampened her creativity.

If anything, Portugal has served to fuel her imagination. She explains: “There are times when I spend hours contemplating how to craft a specific flower, what colour scheme to go for, or how to bring an idea to life. But I only begin working on it in the middle of the night when my muse chooses to visit me.”

The sky’s the limit. In the future, Ilona hopes to have her own workshop where visitors can come by and see her in action. Until then, you can find all of her latest designs on her Instagram page where you can also connect with her and place an order.

While she can’t promise she’ll replicate an exact design, Ilona can craft orders to specific requirements including preferred flower types, colours, sizes and pots.

Using these, Ilona then allows her muse to guide her as she crafts a piece that embodies her creative vision, while bringing the individual’s order to life.

She can then hand-deliver these orders within an hour of Portimão, although some orders may be posted if they’re not too fragile.

A lasting beauty

And the real beauty of these flowers? They won’t wither away after a few weeks! Ilona explains that, to preserve the flowers, they simply need keeping out of direct sunlight, especially during the summer when the melting temperature is quite low (around 60 degrees).

During autumn and winter, it is recommended to keep your flower arrangements in dry places because high humidity can lead to condensation. However, in some cases, this only adds to the beauty of the bouquets.

Imagine the roses with dew drops on them! That’s why several of Ilona’s friends keep their soaps in the bathroom as they just love this natural effect.

With Christmas fast approaching, Ilona’s soap flowers are the perfect alternative to the ‘real deal’. Not only will they last longer but thanks to their stunning hand-crafted design, they’re a truly unique gift. Great for friends, loved ones, colleagues or the person who has everything, Get in touch with Ilona to order your one-of-a-kind gift today.