The Comeback of Portuguese Azulejos

When someone mentions Portugal, a few things come to mind: Port wine, Lisbon, seafood, surfing, and azulejos! Even visitors who aren’t familiar with the term may see images of these glazed, ceramic tiles in their mind’s eye. Deeply embedded in Portugal’s history and culture, there are countless wonderful examples of these beautiful tiles.

Azulejos date as far back as the 13th century, when the Moors invaded the land that now belongs to Spain and Portugal, but they secured their foothold in Portuguese culture between the 16th and 17th centuries. The word azulejo stems from Arabic roots, meaning ‘small polished stone’. Originally they were fairly simple structures cut into geometric shapes in neutral tones.

Recently, Alessandra Branca did a collaboration with de Gournay at the Kips Bay Palm Beach Show House. She was inspired by her travels to Portugal, the wall paper is hand-painted to look like Portuguese Azuelejos Tiles. I cannot wait to see this trend continue to evolve into a movement to bring back blue and white tile designs. Hopefully, wallpaper is just the beginning...