Thayra Correia’s sustainable approach to material mastery
people • makers
Passionate about materials, Thayra believes that the right material choice gives a piece its personality and identity. Her creations emphasise longevity and timelessness, using designs and materials that ensure easy maintenance and preservation. Committed to sustainability, all production is done in local workshops in Lisbon, reflecting her dedication to keeping the brand human and environmentally conscious.
WEBSITE: thayracorreia.com. INSTAGRAM: @THAYRA_CORREIA
Words: designeers
SEPTEMBER 2024
designeers
Could you please give us a quick introduction? Describe what you create:
thayra correia
I finished high school determined to study journalism, more specifically political journalism. I was forced to stay in Lisbon after the holidays. The time to apply for college had already passed, so I returned to high school. In parallel, I started taking small courses because, at that point, I was already confused about what to study, so I discovered design. The following year, I decided to work to save enough money to enter the best design school in Portugal. In the second semester, I knew the industrial product was my path. I didn't care about following the teachers' brief; I wanted to explore everything that was material and discover everything they could teach me. I made the lives of the teachers and technicians at the 3D Laboratory from college hell. But it was worth it. Today, I'm a designer and still as hungry to learn as I was on the first day.
At the moment, I'm focused on furniture and lighting. A year ago, I decided to create my own studio and developed my first commercial collection. Before that, I worked for other studios and did more specific projects on the side. The collection's basis is metal, stainless steel, one of the most controversial materials in people's conceptual ideas about sustainability. Still, I propose and explore another aspect of sustainability: the longevity of the products I create.
Metal is one of the few materials that are only destroyed by humans, and it requires an entire process. By this, I mean that the pieces in this collection can last a lifetime and be passed down through generations. With this collection, I also propose another perspective on metal, transforming it into comfortable benches with upholstery and lamps that are points of warm light and aesthetically attractive.
designeers
What is your favourite piece in this collection?
thayra correia
My favourite piece is the central piece in the collection, the Djuntu lamp. Its composition of parts creates a calmly intriguing light effect, and the entire collection is based on it.
designeers
Tell us about one thing that’s inspiring you lately and why.
thayra correia
I have been discovering social design projects recently. Although they do not have much to do with my current focus, there are people and projects with major impacts around the world. These projects inspire me a lot and make me question many things.
designeers
What are some of your methods to staying motivated, focused and expressive?
thayra correia
Travel and meet people. The idea of staying stagnant in one place scares me. I feel that my creativity reduces when I stay in the same place for over three months. So, I put a lot of emphasis on movement; it forces me to have discipline at work.
“Travel and meet people. The idea of staying stagnant in one place scares me.”
thayra correia
designeers
What’s the best mistake you have ever made?
thayra correia
I went back home to Bissau to spend my 25th birthday. I disobeyed my mother, got into a giant canoe with a friend, and went to the islands. We spent a week on the most beautiful beach I've ever seen. We almost died coming back, but today, when I feel out of place, I close my eyes and imagine myself sitting on that beach and realise there is a place in the world where I belong. And I am going back there to build a ceramic centre.
designeers
Favourite hotel in the world?
thayra correia
Amakila in Bali, from the Aman group. The openness of soul that each of the people who work there reduces all luxury to extreme simplicity.
designeers
A gallery or museum that inspires you?
thayra correia
Serralves in Porto. It is a mix of things, and each corner transports me to another universe inside my mind. It is one of the places in Portugal that hosts the best exhibitions. I wish I could visit more than I do.
designeers
Design hero?
thayra correia
Alice Rawsthorn! She plays a fundamental role in changing the world's perspective on what design role is and can be. And transforming design as a discipline.
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