Burel Factory

Burel Factory

A Brand woven into a Greater Heritage.
Burel Factory is a Portuguese brand, born in Serra da Estrela, dedicated to the preservation and regeneration of industrial heritage, its deep knowledge of the wool industry spanning generations, and the unique culture and traditions that mark that very place, its people, and its history. From the heart of the mountain, it promotes the mastery of knowledge, the art made by many hands that warp, card, spin, and weave on ancestral machines that have been heard since the 19th century, whose rhythm and beauty enchant us. It safeguards the legacy of wool and burel through design, art, and textile and scientific innovation, weaving with the threads of the past a sustainable, circular, and more authentic vision of the future. And it does so out of a deep sense of commitment.

When building Casa das Penhas Douradas, we sought to find elements that highlighted the mastery of the Serra, burel, wool, and its centuries-old connection to local culture. It was at this point that we discovered the Lanifícios Império factory. The factory discovered us, and we discovered burel, which we then sought to develop and which would later be used in the hotel's decoration. It was then that we realized the factory was in the process of insolvency, unable to adapt to the demands of the times. Bearing a textile heritage that transcends us, we could not let it disappear, neither its people nor its knowledge.

Mountain Craftsmen.

We decided to move forward with the factory's restoration and purchase to continue its history and showcase its art to the world. Today, it's the Burel Factory in Manteigas. We kept the 19th-century machines, recycled some patterns from old drawing books that we still use in some blankets today, and began adding color to the burel, which until then had only existed in the original wool colors.

We put the old loom masters to work teaching the younger ones, to increase the passing of the torch and prevent this art from dying out. We put forward proposals, wove ideas, and pioneered designs on the old looms. And we arrived at pieces whose design, finish, and unique details become the embodiment and testament to the priceless heritage that only slow production can guarantee.

We opened the hotel overlooking the mountain panorama, a clear tribute to the Serra's greatest heritage: its landscape. We combined historical elements we found there with contemporary pieces by Portuguese artists and designers. We used burel in its interiors as a key element in design and art, elevating, disseminating, and enhancing its value, while leveraging its thermal and acoustic properties, promoting sustainability through things as simple as giving new life to a centuries-old product. Today, it is the Casa de São Lourenço, a 5-star hotel at an altitude of 1,250 meters.

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