Less than a year after opening its first store in Bairro do Rosário, Cascais, Desvio Ceramics has expanded its horizons with a second space, this time in the Cidadela’s Art District. The new shop opened on July 26, under the guidance of the project’s founder, Sofia Santo.
Sofia spent ten years working in social services before taking a break to rethink her professional path and discover what she truly wanted to do. With no prior connection to ceramics, a single pottery class sparked her interest. After undertaking various courses, she decided to take this new “detour” in her life by launching her own brand.
“It was a very happy detour in my life, and last October we opened the studio. Now, with this new space, I believe it can help push ceramics further in the municipality, because I really think we have enormous potential”, Sofia Santo tells Time Out Cascais.
From the start, Sofia was keen to establish a presence in a “historic and more central area”, offering an artistic expression that didn’t yet have a home in this network of shops and galleries.
Although smaller than the Rosário studio, the new shop showcases Desvio Ceramics’ pieces – plates, cups, bowls, jugs, and decorative objects – with a minimalist aesthetic that highlights natural imperfections. The space also hosts workshops to engage the community.
“We have two focuses: our own brand of pieces, and inviting people to take a pause, try out this artistic expression, and then have the chance to take home what they’ve created”, Sofia explains. “We’ll also be running courses led by guest artists, and we want to act as a hub that draws the community into this historic space”.
At the moment, the original Rosário studio – which has always hosted workshops and other public initiatives – is now fully dedicated to hand-building pieces. In the Cidadela space, the focus is on the potter’s wheel and other techniques.
“In other words, we continue to run workshops and classes in Rosário, but now solely for hand-building. Everything involving the wheels happens in Cidadela, where we’ll also host ‘Wheel and Wine’ workshops. In addition, people can book time in Rosário as part of an Open Studio approach, almost like a co-working space, where they can use the larger studio to create their own pieces”.
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