Emmanuel Babled
Fundação Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva

Beverly was born out of the collaboration between French designer Emmanuel Babled, who works and lives in Lisbon for many months a year, and the Portuguese Fundação Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva (FRESS), which, from 1953, has been protecting and promoting Portuguese decorative arts. Conceived as a chest that presents a beautiful surface but hides a few mysteries, Beverly has no front or back, no visible openings or handles, no planed surfaces: it invites you to discover and experience its shape. The mystery is eventually solved when you discover a storage compartment hidden behind two cabinet doors. The two polished copper plates on the side create the illusion of spaciousness, depth and infinity. Beverly is available in several styles, sizes and finishes.

Emmanuel Babled, an award-winning designer who has a real passion for craftsmanship, was inspired by the potential of Portuguese artisanal heritage. He developed this project as part of an agreement signed in 2017 between FRESS and Passa Ao Futuro, which aims to strengthen the dialogue between design and craftsmanship in the 21st century. In this context Babled brought his romantic, yet extremely precise and versatile vision of decorative shapes to the specialised and creative craftsmen of the FRESS workshops, who embody the centuries-old Portuguese intangible cultural heritage. Their precision, mastery and dexterity transformed Babled’s project into an innovative, inspiring object, suitable for contemporary tastes, standards and challenges.