Why Picnic for Lunch?

It’s funny, Picnic for Lunch was picked completely randomly without thinking about it too much: in my family, we use this expression when lunch revolves around sandwiches, bread, cakes, lemon juice, picky bits, instead of a regular knife-&-fork meal. It felt whimsical & appropriate for the content I wanted to create, that people could flick through during their own picnics. When i decided on the name we were having a picnic for lunch at my grandparents’ house in Monsanto e Idanha-a-Velha, a house that brings me the most inspiration.

What is it that draws you to interiors?

I have always had a special interest in interior design & architecture & recently started working with interiors as a creative consultant & project manager. It’s been very gratifying & liberating to finally be able to explore this area that I have always wanted to dive in. To be honest, this process has started a while back as a sort of hobby as I was always called by my friends & family to help out with furniture choices, layout & construction decisions & of course long DIY sessions. I consider myself a professional diy-er!

Something that attracts me to a place or an image is…

Places with a story, always. Ancient or contemporary, but places that tell the story of the people who live, or lived there. I really appreciate the places that describe the people who passed through & through the objects, furniture & art we can understand & get to know a little about their personality & their life experiences.

My personal style signifier is...

Maximalism & history - aesthetics above practicality. I like houses full of small objects, art & interesting furniture everywhere. I like places with soul that are lived in & the mix between antiques & contemporary design, juxtaposed, unpretentious & simple at the same time. My perception of beauty is rarely literal, but more raw & true. I don’t like overly thought-out things & very idealized settings, rather thrown together by someone who truly understands timelessness.

If I could travel to any time in Portugal, it would be...

I’m currently reading a book called “O Primo Basílio” by Eça de Queiroz written in 1878 & I really wanted to travel to that time. It attracts me for its aesthetics & way of living. Obvious a very privileged setting, but I find the dinners, teas, balls & social gatherings that were held almost daily with friends & family around big tables with long conversations & parties where music was listened to long into the evening. This would obviously be just to visit & observe. Despite everything I really like to live in the times we live in!

When I travel I collect…

Above all, memories & pictures. I’m not a big buyer when I’m travelling. I also like to collect things that I’ve found from spending time in nature, such as shells, sticks, stones, cowries, leaves & flowers. I put them inside my books where I leave them to dry & if i have a spare frame lying around, will pop them in there to remind me of that holiday, like a scrapbook on the wall.

An object that I found on holiday & treasure is...

An abalone shell that I found in Praia da Vigia in Melides or some old wooden shoemaker’s moulds that I bought in an antique shop in Castelo Branco.

The last place I went & loved was…

I confess that I haven’t travelled much lately. But recently I went to Évora where I go from time to time & it’s a city where I always like to come back (probably because I love Alentejo & I always tend to be more in Beira-Baixa).

The one book I return to when I’m travelling or inspires me to travel & create is...

I like to read novels – it doesn’t necessarily have to do with the trip itself. The book that most inspires me to travel in Portugal is a beautiful old book from the 1940s called “Arte e Vida do Povo Português”. It’s full of beautiful illustrations, drawings & photos that allow us to get to know much of the art & culture of the Portuguese people divided by the different areas of our country.

If money was no object, my dream home or holiday home in Portugal would be.....

An old house in Lisbon overlooking the Rio Tejo & with a large garden, perhaps in Santa Catarina. The house would be like an old manor but in the Lisbon centre so everything was on my doorstep during my stay there.

No holiday home is complete without...

A comfortable bed & a view. Good lighting & a space that “hugs me”. I usually prefer to stay in a house because as I usually go with several people & I find it much more personal & comfortable for us to all be sharing the same house where we can cook, socialize in the living room or sunbathe in the garden. I think it makes the experience more intimate & personal.

The one artist or designer whose work I would fill the house with if I could would be...

All objects from Felipa Almeida’s fairs with the best curation & the most beautiful objects. If there’s one thing I would love to collect, it’s Portuguese handcraft, its dissemination & its reinterpretation.

The best thing about coming home after a holiday is...

My bed. No matter how many good beds I try, I never sleep as well as in my own bed (which is about 100 years old, but the mattress is from this decade). I always savour coming home to my kitchen also. It's always my favorite room in a house & where I end up spending most of the time.

About the Aesthete

Francisco studied Design with a Masters in Marketing & Advertising. He currently works as a graphic designer for several creative brands, helping them to create & develop their unique identities through storytelling, art direction, set design, website creation, social media management, & content creation. Along the way, he creates personal projects such as @picnicforlunch, @paille_lisboa @stoopinglisboa & @seeyousoon_eyewear.