MALGA was founded in 2015 in Lisbon, but has always had its roots firmly in the Alentejo. Its origins and inspiration come from the customs, ways of making and using ceramic pieces.
The studio produces unique and functional pieces, always handmade and in small quantities.
I believe that essential pieces were once created by someone and it makes perfect sense to give them a new life.
With longevity and quality in mind, the material chosen to produce the pieces is stoneware.
Handmade mainly on the potter's wheel and fired at high temperatures, this material is perfect for everyday items.
About Tanks
The laundry tanks were, for decades, central elements of domestic and community life, especially in rural areas. Found in house courtyards or public washhouses and often built near springs or wells, they were essencial.
Beyond their practical function, washhouses were also places of gathering and exchange among women, where stories, knowledge, and local news were shared. Over time, with the arrival of washing machines, tanks fell into disuse, but they remain symbols of a way of life deeply connected to the land, manual labor, and community living.
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créditos: Artur Pastor (Porto, 1970)
"The first time I made a clay tank, I used the image I had in my memory as a reference. I didn't research its exact shape. I wanted that tank to be mine.
These pieces that I produce today serve as capsules of memories that are no longer ours but that we can remember."
About Cochos collection
co.char.ro
concave cork container, similar to a spoon
large, used for drinking water from springs.
The Cochos collection was born from the desire to bring back
to our daily lives pieces that have great cultural value.
The cork cocharros, collected and made by skilled hands of field workers, were used as a shell to drink water from the springs. More recently these pieces have become symbols
from other times, used now as decoration, memories.
There were two Cochos collections, an initial one in 2016 and another in 2021. The first was produced in earthenware and with some color, the second was simpler and only in white, in which the chosen material was stoneware.
This collection is currently out of production, with only a few copies available in the online store. But you can see them in several restaurants across the country, such as the award-winning Desarma in Madeira or the Marlene, restaurant, owned by the renowned Marlene Vieira.
The first restaurant to have these pieces was Taberna d'Vila, in Grândola, which still has a complete collection of the Cochos family in use.