About the studio
Alfama Ceramic Studio is a two-person pottery on Calçada do Forte, a side street below São Jorge Castle that smells of wet clay and espresso. We make stoneware the slow way, in small batches, for people who use their dishes every day.
Two potters, one wheel at a time
Marta learned to throw in Évora and spent a decade in production potteries before opening the studio with Duarte, a former carpenter who now mixes every glaze we use. Between us we throw, trim, glaze, fire and pack every piece that leaves the door.
We use Portuguese stoneware clay from the Aveiro region and fire to 1,260 °C, which makes pots that survive dishwashers, ovens and daily use. What we do not outsource: the glazes, the handles or the packing.
- Small batches. Around 1,400 pieces a year — never more than the kiln asks for.
- Local materials. Clay and minerals sourced within Portugal, glazes mixed in-studio.
- Honest variation. Differences in glaze and form are how you know a pot was made by hand.
- Made to be used. Dishwasher-safe, oven-friendly, chip-resistant stoneware.
From lump to shelf
Each piece takes about three weeks from wet clay to the studio shop. The pauses are part of the process.
01 / Throw
Find the centre
We throw each form in one sitting, keeping the marks and rhythms of the hands visible.
02 / Dry
Let the clay settle
Pieces dry slowly on open shelves before trimming, handle-making and their first firing.
03 / Glaze
Mix the surface
Duarte blends every glaze in small test batches, from sea-glass teal to warm kiln sand.
04 / Fire
Open the kiln
At 1,260 °C, the clay becomes durable stoneware. Then we inspect, sign and wrap every piece.