ENTREVISTA / INTERVIEW
.20 | NOV.
PL: Tell us a little about yourself, who is Architect Sofia Pinho Santos?
SS: From an early age, the desire to develop unique and harmonious creations exists. I have always been very inspired by the smallest and subtle details, and I have always dreamed very big about being able to develop projects that would allow me to achieve even what is considered impossible.
All my academic training and professional experience, as well as Rui, co-founder of the company, culminated in the creation of Royal Stranger. We both have degrees in Architecture and developed all our experience and activity in Porto.
After an internship with architect Carlos Castanheira, I participated in several projects in collaboration with Álvaro Siza Vieira, which allowed me to develop a solid set of skills and knowledge in the area. Later, together with Rui, I founded an architecture and interior design studio. Some of our interior projects have even been recognized internationally and reached the finals of international competitions in the area.
It is, therefore, all this love and respect for functionality combined with aesthetics and harmony, what defines us.
PL: Your creations are true pieces of art. What is your source of inspiration?
SS: It was defined, from the beginning of the brand, that the line of thought and development of the pieces would be based on strong concepts. The 1920s and Art Deco, for example, in addition to always being present in the essence of the brand, stand out particularly in the first collections. As important sources of inspiration and bases for the design of our pieces I must mention architecture (naturally and inevitably, throughout our background), art, jewelry, cinema and nature. Our intention is that these creative concepts are maintained, even those that have not been so directly present in the latest pieces, as they are also part of the essence of the brand. The names we consider to be our main references are India Mahdavi, Zaha Hadid, Sejima, Nadir Afonso, Charles & Ray Eames, Le Corbusier and Tim Burton (this one, a cinematographic reference, but with a significant influence on our pieces).