Filippa Burenstam Linder is the creative director of the porcelain company Mateus, a 30 years old brand with inspiration from Swedish design and Portuguese craftsmanship. Together with her mother Teresa Mateus Lundahl, Filippa and Teresa are a driving force. They are dedicated in creating colorful tables and set designs around the world. With a strong inspiration taken from the fashion world, but also love for family gatherings. Odalisque had a quick talk with the Creative Director, to ask a few questions for the spring and summer.

Tell me about your inspiration and love for Mateus.
Mateus is truly part of my DNA. My mother founded the company when I was just seven years old, so it’s deeply woven into my childhood. I have so many memories of accompanying her to the factories and helping pack orders in our basement, which at the time served as our warehouse. When I was nine, I gave her a drawing of a plate for her birthday. She loved the idea and decided to produce it, with a few tweaks, of course. That became my very first design for Mateus.

What are your inspirations for the brand, currently and for the future?
What inspires me most is our customers. I feel incredibly proud when I meet someone who’s been collecting Mateus for years, adding new pieces over time - or when someone inherits pieces and wants to continue building their own collection. That kind of loyalty and connection to the brand is both humbling and motivating.

How did your own passion for design start?
I think I was born into it! Design has always been a part of my life. Even as a child, I was constantly rearranging my room - probably every other week. I’ve always had a love for aesthetics and how they shape our surroundings.

The Mateus brand is introduced as Swedish Design meets Portuguese craftsmanship, tell me a bit more about that merge. My mother was born and raised in Lisbon and moved to Sweden when she met my father, so Portugal has always been close to our hearts. The country has a rich heritage in ceramics, and from the start, it made perfect sense to bring together Portuguese craftsmanship with the simplicity and elegance of Swedish design. That combination defines Mateus.

What are your hopes for people buying Mateus items?
That they’ll love and cherish them for many years. Our collection is extensive, we have around 700 unique items, and we rarely discontinue products. That means customers can start a collection and continue to build on it over time, knowing they can always find complementary pieces.

What do spring/summer 2025 look like for you personally?
Fashion-wise, I’m a denim girl - I love a good Canadian tuxedo. When it comes to table settings, I’m all about color. I prefer bold tones like blue, red, and yellow over pastels. For me, vibrant colors really bring a table to life.

Last question, tell me about your latest collaboration with Sam Baron. How did it start, how did you found each other? 
We first met in 2017, when we invited Sam and Costas to design a collection for our 25th anniversary. Since then, we have stayed in touch, thanks in part to Sam’s residency in Portugal and our encounters at international design fairs. Coincidentally, my mother and Sam also goes to the same tea shop in Lisbon! When we decided to incorporate patterns in a modern and intriguing way, Sam was the natural choice. Read Odalisque's interview with Sam Baron here.

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Images: Mateus