In the studio: Sérgio Lemos, Darga Crafts

Text and photographs: Miguel Barbot


Sérgio Lemos invited me to visit his studio shortly after we started a collaboration with his brand, Darga Crafts. So I pedalled from Matosinhos, where I was living by then, to one of Porto's busiest roads, where he lives.

Being there, still trying to recover my breath after an intense ride, I was far from imagining what I would find behind the tall gate. One of the most relaxing places I've been in Porto. It is a small building in the backyard of a bigger family house, half studio, half apartment. 

In the back of the plot, one can find an 'Ilha', a Porto's specific working-class dwelling. In an empty part of the backyard, Sérgio built a dome, a wooden structure that will be his new carpenter's workshop.

Sérgio usually lives in Funchal, on Madeira Island, where he teaches design, but he says his nest is here. When entering the studio, we understand why. Besides the new objects he hand-carved for Ofício, we can find many other pieces. Folk-art, his experiences, pieces from friends and other artists, handmade furniture and items gathered through the years.

Some of the objects are prototypes made for a book and exhibition due to be launched in the spring. The planned event was postponed, though, for the same reason everything got cancelled this year.

Sergio gets inspiration from nature, design - his decade long job - and craftsmanship. On this page, you can learn a bit more about him and his work.