Burel is a textile manufacturer based in the mountains in central Portugal, in the Serra da Estrela region. Burel has reinvigorated traditional feltmaking in the area by matching centuries of handmade tradition with contemporary design, and the company now makes clothing, furniture, accessories, rugs, throws, wall coverings for interiors and more. Scroll to the bottom of the post for a short video report from Monocle on Burel for a glimpse into how these fabrics are made.
Two recent high-profile projects of theirs (pictured here) are for Microsoft, who've recently opened new headquarters in Lisbon. Pictured above and directly below are a range of manually woven textured wall coverings that Burel has created for Microsoft's Lisbon offices, providing the company's office with bright colours and playful patterns - placing a strong Portuguese stamp on a multinational workspace.
Below is another project Burel has recently completed for Microsoft, where three designers have employed Burel fabric to create cases for Surface, Microsoft's tablet. Three different approaches are employed, each using the soft fabric to great effect. Pictured below is a case by aforest-design (recently featured here) inspired by the strap with which we once held our books together when carrying them to school. Below is a tablet case designed by Rui Grazina that employs various pockets and folds to allow for storage of a notebook, pens and anything else you might like to keep close to hand. At the bottom is a simple sleeve by Rute Gomes, using various soft grey fabrics on the outside and revealing bright colours on the inside which can be folded over, providing a simple but beautiful detail to the cover. You'll find more information on Burel on their website, and if you find yourself in Lisbon you can visit their store on Rua Serpa Pinto in Chiado.
Two recent high-profile projects of theirs (pictured here) are for Microsoft, who've recently opened new headquarters in Lisbon. Pictured above and directly below are a range of manually woven textured wall coverings that Burel has created for Microsoft's Lisbon offices, providing the company's office with bright colours and playful patterns - placing a strong Portuguese stamp on a multinational workspace.
Below is another project Burel has recently completed for Microsoft, where three designers have employed Burel fabric to create cases for Surface, Microsoft's tablet. Three different approaches are employed, each using the soft fabric to great effect. Pictured below is a case by aforest-design (recently featured here) inspired by the strap with which we once held our books together when carrying them to school. Below is a tablet case designed by Rui Grazina that employs various pockets and folds to allow for storage of a notebook, pens and anything else you might like to keep close to hand. At the bottom is a simple sleeve by Rute Gomes, using various soft grey fabrics on the outside and revealing bright colours on the inside which can be folded over, providing a simple but beautiful detail to the cover. You'll find more information on Burel on their website, and if you find yourself in Lisbon you can visit their store on Rua Serpa Pinto in Chiado.
Images courtesy of Burel, video via LX Agency
