10 years, frame by frame

A full decade of commitment to understand people, to relate with their surroundings, specific ideas and three-dimensional needs. And to design and redesign spaces for all of them, no matter the format: individuals, families, companies or public service. Truth be told, it’s been our longest project to date. One that tends to be designed and redesigned as the years go by. It’s always evolving, always pushing the envelope. A challenge that we won’t let go, persistently trying to make it better day after day, to achieve solutions that fits our clienteles’ purposes. And so, for 10 years we’ve been collecting and accumulating frames, both human and technical.

Quite honestly, creating a brand was a formal step, not a vision. At the end of the day, when you work as a freelance designer, and if you’re being successful, you need to step up your game in terms of business. The Maria Vilhena brand was one of those moments, to achieve a more credible roll in the market. One that crossed its path with some cool projects we were working at the time: a hostel, a medical clinic, the beginning of our current partnership with Feedzai and our first ever international project, in Luxembourg. A fusion of events that lead us to create an official brand.

However, formal features or business needs, when you have a consolidated a brand, the demand increases. It’s not just a logo or name. It’s not just a person: it’s a company. The audience, potential customers and the overall market has to relate with it, to understand what it means: from its technical delivery to the know-how. This is a never-ending process that needs a constant reevaluation of the meaning of the brand, according to its place in the market. That’s why, after 8 years in business, we did a rebranding. The redesign, being a designer, was a challenge. Because it was not just a matter of visual design: it was about strategy, market value and business. Far from just a graphic transformation, it was a change of heart and commercial vision, as we were aiming for a more sophisticated brand positioning. One that would match the quality and complexity of the projects we were doing at the time.

Although the shaping of a space – from a home to an office – is our main focus, we like to go beyond the project. A few years ago, we felt the need to add some branded detail to our projects, something that would have its own space in a home in an independent way from our normal projects. The BLAST collection is one of those details, one that includes an armchair, a mirror, a lamp and a rug – all with Maria Vilhena’s original design. Not everything is a briefing, sometimes it’s just a piece of furniture that will make a match with your living room.

As years gone by, the work kept on being more and more stimulating, but we stood to the challenge, expanding our expertise from Portugal to Brazil, California and the UK. That made us grow in know- how, numbers and, most importantly, in recognition, which allowed us to achieve Silver and Gold at the Muse and London Design awards, respectively. It’s been fun, hard and most of all, fulfilling. For of all this, but mainly because this it’s a sisterhood. Maria Vilhena is the name of our interior designer and founder, but Margarida Vilhena is the fundamental piece that keeps all the components working together, focused and aligned with everything that is going on. A 10-year project that runs with the enthusiasm, creativity and strength of two entities: The Vilhena sisters.

Next step: 20 year anniversary.

‍